"It's only the end of December, but already the San Jose Sharks can match last season's win total of 20 by beating the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday afternoon at SAP Center. The last time the Sharks had at least 20 wins by the start of a new calendar year was the 2018-19 season, when they finished second in the Pacific Division and later advanced to the Western Conference final."
"Still, the fact that they're in this position at not even the midway point shows how much they've grown after spending the last three years at or near the bottom of the NHL standings. The Sharks lost three straight games before the Christmas break, including a 7-2 beatdown at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights on Dec. 23. Instead of sliding further, the Sharks responded with a 6-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks and a 5-4 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Monday."
The San Jose Sharks can match last season's 20 wins with a victory over the Minnesota Wild, marking the earliest they have reached that total since 2018-19. The 2018-19 team finished second in the Pacific Division and advanced to the Western Conference final. The current team has climbed out of three seasons near the bottom of the NHL standings and now projects as a potential postseason contender. The Sharks lost three straight before the Christmas break, including a 7-2 loss to Vegas, but rebounded with 6-3 and 5-4 victories over Vancouver and Anaheim. Macklin Celebrini leads offensively, while team closeness, defensive effort, and resilience have driven broader improvement.
Read at The Mercury News
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]