Fear the Five: It could be worse

"Obviously, these past two losses have been very difficult to take and have left us with a lot of feelings of doom and gloom. However, it's time to put these feelings of frustration and anger into perspective because it's only two games into the season and there are still 80 more games to go. What's more, the Sharks, despite how ugly those losses have been, could still be in worst positions within the NHL at this early point in the season."

"Yes, the Sharks have lost the last two games, but points-wise, we're 28th in the league. That's nothing to write home about, but not last either. Then there's the fact that we have a .500 points percentage. You know who doesn't have that? Eleven other teams in the league. Yes, the Sharks have a better points percentage than 11 other teams in the league, which really doesn't mean much, but it's something."

"The truth is, while both Alex Nedeljkovic and Yaroslav Askarov let in some stinkers in their debuts, they also made some exceptional saves. According to MoneyPuck, Nedeljkovic's goals saved above expected is just minus-1.1, while Askarov's is just minus-0.7. That's not ideal after a single game, but it's not irreparable either. One good game could swing things back in the other direction for both goaltenders."

San Jose lost its first two games but still holds a .500 points percentage and sits 28th in the league. Eleven teams have a worse points percentage, including the Los Angeles Kings, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks and Tampa Bay Lightning. The season still contains 80 more games, making early standings volatile. Both Alex Nedeljkovic and Yaroslav Askarov allowed weak goals in their debuts but also made notable saves. MoneyPuck lists Nedeljkovic at -1.1 goals saved above expected and Askarov at -0.7. Those single-game metrics are poor but not irreparable; one strong performance could reverse the goaltending outlook.

Read at Fear the Fin