The Need to Knows
- The Time: 12:30pm
- The Place: SAP Center, San Jose, California
- Place to Watch: KING-5, KONG, KHN Networks, NBC Sports-California, Amazon Prime (Local)
- Place to Listen: KJR 93.3-FM via Kraken Audio Network
- An Opposing Viewpoint: Fear the Fin
Know Your Enemy
- The Sharks are 7-13-5, dead last in-division, and have 19 points in the standings.
- The Sharks actually have three leading goal-scorers: Tyler Toffoli, Mikael Granlund, and Fabian Zetterlund. All of them have 9 goals in 25 games.
- William Eklund is the head of assists in San Jose, having a mind-boggling 16 in 24 games.
- Mikael Granlund is the leading points-man on the Sharks, with 24 in 23 games.
- The goaltending of the Sharks has largely been under Mackenzie Blackwood’s wing, but given that he was just on the receiving end of a disgraceful .636 SV% against the Senators, I can’t help but think San Jose may choose to swap goalies to Vitek Vanecek, who has an .899 SV% through 9 starts.
Game Notes
Happy Turkey Sandwich for the next week day, everybody. I hope you had a great meal yesterday and if you’re Canadian?
Well, I hope you had a good Thursday to forget the last game, because that was bad. Just an atrocious effort against what should be an inferior team in what should’ve been a much tighter contest given how the first effort in Anaheim went.
So that leaves us with a Sharks team that isn’t much better than the Ducks, but also has their own unique advantages. Namely, chaos.
The Sharks don’t really excel in any real statistical category that matters; they’re about 30th to 31st in most possession metrics and their record reflects it; they don’t possess the puck much, but they sure do love shooting it when they get their hands on it. It’s made for some wild games for the Sharks lately; blasting LA out of the water, getting goalie’d so hard the other players in Ottawa may as well have not shown up, and a number of shootout losses that were come from behind. Even if they’re light on game-changing talent, this is not a team you should take lightly. They are built like an old colonial staircase; very easy to fall down if you’re not careful.
If there’s anything the Kraken need to figure out coming into this game that will aide them, it’s defensive structure. Last game’s response to forechecking was nothing short of unacceptable; they need to keep San Jose to the outside and critically, and I’ve written this I don’t know how many times now, actually leave the damn zone when they break up a play. They need to actually reestablish possession when they break up a play, they need to be able to keep their composure in net-front scrambles, and they need to be able to keep the Sharks to the outside. After that? Test their goaltending. The Sharks, at least by the numbers, will give you ample opportunities to do so. Make them sweat.
Let’s get our act together in NorCal, gentlemen.
LET’S GO KRAKEN, LET’S GO SQUIDS