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NHL playoffs 2017: San Jose Sharks preview

By Adam Stocker

Mar 25, 2017; Nashville, TN, USA; San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton (19) skates with the puck in the offensive zone during the second period against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 25, 2017; Nashville, TN, USA; San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton (19) skates with the puck in the offensive zone during the second period against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /
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After losing in the Stanley Cup Final last season, the San Jose Sharks finally hope this is the year they will capture their first Stanley Cup.

The San Jose Sharks’ playoff history is littered with failures. After years of being heavily favored to make the Stanley Cup Final, only to bow out early, the Sharks finally made it through last year as underdogs. The window for the Sharks to win a Cup is closing fast. Eight players on the roster are 30-years old or older. Former team captains Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau are both 37-years old and nearing the end of the line. Thornton saw his point total drop from 82 the previous season to 50 this year, while Marleau has seen his point total drop each of the past three years.

Thornton suffered a lower body injury during the last week of the season, but Jumbo Joe vowed to be back in time for the first round, when the Sharks face the Edmonton Oilers. San Jose has the difficult task of slowing down the NHL’s leading scoring Connor McDavid.

Why they can win

The Sharks came close to winning the Stanley Cup a season ago and the much of the roster remains the same. Last year, goalie Martin Jones raised his level of play in the playoffs and was a large reason why San Jose made it to the Finals. If center Logan Couture can also raise his play to the same level he did last year, the Sharks could upset a few teams. A year ago, Couture had 30 points in 24 games and likely would have won the Conn Smythe Trophy if the Sharks had won the Cup.

In last year’s playoffs, the Sharks advanced despite getting only five goals from Marleau in 24 games. The Sharks need Marleau to match his regular season production to make another deep run. Marleau broke the 25-goal milestone for the 12th time in his career this season.

The Sharks are going to depend on their defense to win. San Jose is the lowest scoring playoff team in the Western Conference. The San Jose has a solid defensive top-four of Brent Burns, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Paul Martin and Justin Braun. Burns and Vlasic get the majority of headlines. Martin and Braun are not flashy players but they are both good at preventing goals.

Why they can’t win

The Sharks have several holes they’ll need to plug in the playoffs. In his second season as the starter, Jones’ save percentage regressed to 91.2 percent. If San Jose does not receive better play in net, they will likely lose out in the first two rounds.

Logan Couture was dreadful on faceoffs this season. The Guelph, Ontario native won just 39.6 percent of draws this year. Given how bad Couture was, it is amazing that San Jose coach Peter DeBoer let him take 750 faceoffs this season.

The Sharks also lack secondary scoring. Four different San Jose players scored at least 25 goals. However only four other players scored more than ten goals, and all four barely broke that number. If the top line goes cold for the Sharks, they do not have enough scoring options to win a close game. Outside of Couture, Burns, Marleau, and captain Joe Pavelski the Sharks just don’t have a lot of goal scoring options.

Add those things together and it could spell trouble.

X-factor

The Sharks’ x-factor is Brent Burns. It doesn’t matter if San Jose starts Burns at defense or moves him to forward in the middle of the game, Burns needs to be the Sharks best player. The 31-year old averaged almost 25 minutes of ice time per game during the regular season. In the playoffs that number could be even higher. Burns led the Sharks in points and tied for the team led with 29 goals. Wherever he plays, he has to be leading this team.

Prediction

A season after making the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in franchise history, the Sharks playoff run comes to an earlier end. In the first round, the Sharks travel to northern Alberta to face the Edmonton Oilers. Both teams win games on their own home ice through the first six. In Game 7, Oilers goalie Cam Talbot plays one of the best games of his career. The Oilers advance eliminating the Sharks.

Next: NHL playoffs: 5 reasons the Penguins won't repeat

The loss could mean the end of the Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau-era in teal jerseys. In the 1997 NHL draft, the Boston Bruins selected Thornton first overall and San Jose selected Marleau second overall pick. Both players turn 38-years old later this year and will be free agents at the end of the season. If the Sharks lose, both players may sign discounted contracts elsewhere and chase the elusive Stanley Cup. It would be a hard way for things to end, but it seems like a likely scenario.