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Midseason musings
Sharks season shapes up as
a disappointment
by Paul Krill
Well, the
season is a bit more than halfway over, with Monday’s pleasant 2-1 win
over the Kings snapping a four-game losing streak. Probably the most obvious
thing that can be said about the season so far, with the Sharks’ record at
12-14-4, is that this is the ideal season for fans not to be allowed in the
building.
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Sharks pluck Ducks again
SJ wins three in a
row for the first time this season
by Mike
Lee
The wins have been far and few between for the San Jose Sharks
this season, so any chance to string together three wins in a row is big news.
Granted, two of those three came against a depleted Anaheim Ducks hockey team,
but the Sharks aren't going to get picky. The Sharks followed up their big 6-0
win over Anaheim 24 hours earlier, with a 3-1 victory at Honda Center to take
all four points in their quick stop in Southern California.
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Finally a big win
Road trip starts with a
6-0 Duck hunt
by Mike Lee
Big wins have
been nonexistent for the Sharks this season, so as they kicked off a 4-game
road trip it was a refreshing change of pace to punch an opponent in the mouth.
They did just that by beating the host Anaheim Ducks 6-0 at the Honda Center on
Friday night. Six different skaters scored for the Sharks and Devyn Dubnyk made
34 saves to earn his 33rd career shutout.
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A loss is a loss, regardless of why
Plenty
of blame to go around in 3-2 OT loss in St Louis
by
Mike Lee
Good teams find ways to win. Bad teams find ways to lose.
The 2020-21 version of the San Jose Sharks isn't making any run for the Stanley
cup this year, but they found a way to cough up a win against a better team.
The Sharks were 40 seconds from their 3rd win in regulation, before
surrendering a tying goal to the Blues. A terrible call in the overtime handed
the Blues the win, when David Perron scored a power play goal to help St Louis
steal the two points with a 3-2 win.
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Sharks win one in regulation
San Jose knocks
off Ducks 3-2 on home ice
by Mike
Lee
Regulation wins have been as rare as fans this season for San
Jose, but the Sharks put together a feisty 2nd period that potted a pair of
goals en route to a 3-2 win over the visiting Anaheim Ducks at SAP Center on
Monday night. Martin Jones played well enough to earn a shutout, but a pair of
own goals by the Sharks defense was the only blemishes on an otherwise
productive game for the Sharks.
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Another win in bonus time
Sharks outlast the
Kings in LA
by Mike Lee
Winning in
regulation isn't something that seems to appeal to the Sharks these days.
Playing their 11th consecutive game on the road, San Jose had to rely on the
shootout to beat the host Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center on Tuesday night
4-3. Evander Kane scored a tying goal in the last minute of regulation to get
the Sharks to bonus hockey. While the Sharks will take the win, they're also
carrying their opponents by allowing them to record standings points. San Jose
has allowed all but one opponent to record a point or more against them this
season.
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Road weary Sharks stumble in Anaheim
Ducks
take 2-1 shootout win
by Mike Lee
The
road weary Sharks showed a little of the fatigue that goes with 9 consecutive
games away from home ice. Throw in a modified training camp that was held in
Arizona, and the Sharks may not even remember where they live. They forgot
where the opposing net was on Saturday night, dropping a 2-1 shootout loss to
the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center after scoring off the opening
faceoff.
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Up and down night in Anaheim
Sharks overcome
3-1 3rd period deficit to wi in the SO
by Mike
Lee
The Sharks got back to work on Friday night after a 9-day layoff
due to Vegas' COVID issues, continuing with their extended road trip with a
stop in Southern California. San Jose played a nice opening period, then gagged
up three goals in the middle period before storming back to take a 4-3 lead.
The game would eventually make it to the shootout, where San Jose converted
twice for the 5-4 victory over the host Anaheim Ducks.
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Sharks good enough to lose
San Jose drops
second straight to Colorado 3-0
by Mike
Lee
The Sharks history puts General Manager Doug Wilson in a
precarious position. Regardless of the end result, you always believed the
Sharks had a chance of winning. The current brand of Sharks hockey forces the
suspension of that belief. The 2021 brand leaves little to the imagination.
Thursday night's case in point, saw the Sharks best effort limited the Colorado
Avalanche to three goals. That best effort also netted San Jose a goose egg on
the score sheet, as Phillip Grubauer shutout the Sharks 3-0 at Ball Arena in
Denver.
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San Jose KO'd in Colorado
Avalanche run
roughshod on outgunned Sharks
by Mike
Lee
If you saw how Connor Macgregor was treated in the 2nd round of
his fight last weekend, then you'll have a pretty good idea of what the Sharks
felt like as they stopped in Denver for their 2-game series with the Colorado
Avalanche. The Sharks landed an uppercut that woke up their opponent, then it
was lights out. The Avalanche threw a haymaker and before the Sharks realized
they were staring up at the Ball Arena ceiling, it was 7-3.
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Burns beauty wins it late in Minny
San Jose
splits 2-gamer with Wild
by Mike Lee
The
Sharks closed out their 2-game series with the Minnesota Wild on Sunday night
with a nail biting 5-3 win at Xcel Energy Center. The Sharks built a 2-goal
lead, then allowed Minnesota to tie the game before Brent Burns scored one of
the prettiest goals of his career to help San Jose salvage a split after
falling 48 hours earlier in Minneapolis.
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Absence of offense costs Sharks
Minnesota
Wild handcuffs Sharks for 4-1 win
by Mike
Lee
Devin Dubnyk and Ryan Donato made their first appearances in the
place they called home the last couple of years as the Sharks rolled into
Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Wild in a two game series. Both players
were looking to make a difference against their former team, but the Sharks
lack of inspired play resulted in a 4-1 loss at Xcel Energy Center.
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Sharks outlast Blues
Tomas Hertl's shootout
tally wins it for SJ
by Mike Lee
After
stubbing their toes the last two games, the Sharks looked to fix some things
that consistently led to losses last season. They used Wednesday night's
contest in St Louis as a measuring stick, against a team that was a year
removed from a Stanley Cup Championship. San Jose clamped down defensively on a
very good hockey team, and waited them out to the shootout, where Tomas Hertl
was the only skater to deposit a shot in a 2-1 win for the Sharks.
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Another rough middle period dooms SJ
Sharks
fail to hold a lead for third consecutive game
by
Mike Lee
This season is going to be hard enough as it is, but if the
Sharks refuse to focus on defense, it's going to be a very long season. After
imploding against the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday, San Jose allowed another
horrific 2nd period get the best of them in St Louis on Monday night. The
Sharks blew a 2-0 lead, allowing the Blues to score four 2nd period goals
before falling with a 3rd period goal 5-4.
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NHL
Road Warriors get off to good start - sort of
Opener
should have been won in OT, but the win is nice
by
Paul Krill
The Sharks are looking like they could become the NHL's
version of the Port Ruppert Mundys, the fictional baseball team in Phillip
Roth's "The Great American Novel," who had to play all their games on the road.
Given the Covid-19 situation in Santa Clara County, we don't know when or if
the Sharks will be playing in the confines of SAP Center this season.
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Kane leads Sharks past Leafs
SJ wins third
game in a row
by Mike Lee
The end of the
2019-20 season is on the horizon, and with all the injuries and the trade
deadline purge, the Sharks are just trying to wrap up the final month of the
season. Playing teams that are still jockeying for playoff spots would make it
easy for the Sharks to pack it in, but for whatever reason, they're figuring
some things out. The Toronto Maple Leafs entered play on a four-game winning
streak, but a strong 3rd period helped propel San Jose past their guests with a
5-3 win.
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Florida end Sharks win streak
Struggling
Panthers beat SJ 5-3
by Mike Lee
Two
steps forward, one step back for the San Jose Sharks. Not that we should be
expecting much more from a team that's been decimated by injury, but the
ability to win back to back games on the road still leaves that glimmer of
hope. Check that. That reality of their ills was exposed on Monday as the
Sharks returned home for an odd one-game homestand against the Florida
Panthers. The Sharks lack of defensive depth was exposed, as Florida bit the
Sharks in a 5-3 loss at SAP Center.
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Bad Sharks return
Flames steam roll SJ
6-2
by Mike Lee
If anyone fantasized that
the Sharks two wins in Alberta last week was a stepping stone, the harsh
reality of this lost season came to light on Monday night as the Sharks were
out-played by the Calgary Flames en route to a 5-2 loss at SAP Center. The
Sharks slept-walked through the opening 10 minutes of the game, quickly falling
behind 3-0. They would draw within a single goal before collapsing. It was more
of the failure that has plagued San Jose this season. Late to class, and not
initiative once they got there.
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Rising from the ashes?
Can the Sharks still
make a playoff run?
by Paul
Krill
Everyone knows the "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" skit where
the black knight, having had his arms and legs lopped off by King Arthur,
continues to fight on just the same in what is obviously a hopeless battle.
"Just a flesh wound," he says. Perhaps our Sharks might learn a lesson from
this ridiculous comedy scene. Discussion lately has centered on the Sharks
being too far out of a playoff spot to contend and being sellers, not buyers,
at the trade deadline. We saw the Sharks get shut out at home last weekend
against Tampa Bay and only snag two points during a three-game home stand.
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3rd period dooms Sharks
Vancouver scores 4
goals in the final frame to sink Sharks
by Mike
Lee
The writing is on the wall. This Sharks roster doesn't have it
and their 3rd period performance against the visiting Vancouver Canucks proved
it. The Sharks blew a 2-1 3rd period lead, allowing the Canucks to score four
times in the final frame to blow out San Jose 5-2 at SAP Center. After beating
a cupcake opponent in Anaheim on Monday night, the Sharks showed that they
don't have any answers for quality teams. A playoff run is ridiculous notion
given for San Jose given the absence of any consistent finish.
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Old and new lead Sharks
Marleau and Noesen
lead San Jose over Ducks
by Mike Lee
The
Sharks have 30 games left in the season to right their ship. With the post All
Star Game portion of the season kicking off on Monday night for San Jose, the
Sharks received scoring from an old regular and young newcomer to knock off the
Anaheim Ducks 4-2 at SAP Center. Patrick Marleau and Stefan Noesen each scored
a pair of goals to pace the Sharks. The struggling Ducks were just the team San
Jose needed to start their home stretch run.
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Sharks fall in the desert
SJ battles back
from 2-0 deficit but can't finish
by Mike
Lee
The Sharks embarked on a three game road trip on Tuesday night
with an important stop against a division foe in the Arizona Coyotes. The
Pacific Division leading Coyotes extended their lead by dispatching the Sharks
6-3 in what was otherwise a close game. San Jose fell victim to sloppy
defensive play that plagued them in December. The Sharks battled back from a
2-0 deficit, only to cough up the lead late in the 2nd period. It was all up
hill for San Jose from their and this roster has not shown signs of resiliency
this season when trailing.
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Sharks fall short in road trip finale
Logan
Couture injured in 3-2 loss
by Mike
Lee
The Sharks wrapped up their 5-game road trip with a stop in St
Louis to take on the defending Stanley Cup Champion Blues at the Enterprise
Center. San Jose entered play still licking their wounds after their tough loss
in Washington DC on Sunday. The Sharks fell behind on a pair of 2nd period
goals, then fell short in a comeback bid, losing 3-2.
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Meier's hatty leads Sharks
Heart to heart
chat wakes up San Jose
by Mike
Lee
December has been anything but a festive month in San Jose, but
for a moment the Sharks looked like the team that reached the Western
Conference Finals last spring by trouncing the Philadelphia Flyers 6-1 at SAP
Center on Saturday night. The Sharks got better each period and steam rolled
the Flyers, fueled by Timo Meier's first career hat trick. It was a night of
firsts, as two Shark rookies also scored their first career NHL goals.
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What the Frk
Kings farmhand helps LA knock
off Sharks
by Mike Lee
The Christmas
break ended and the nightmare season continued for the Sharks on Friday night.
Holding a 2-goal lead in the 3rd period, San Jose coughed up a pair of goals to
the Los Angeles Kings in regulation, then allowed Jeff Carter to poke home a
puck to take the two points in overtime. The Sharks played 40 minutes of hockey
and now find themselves in the basement of the Western Conference all by
themselves.
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Nightmare December continues
Sharks drop 9th
game in last 10
by Mike Lee
The nightmare
that has been the month of December got even worse on Sunday night, as the
Sharks buckled in the 3rd period once again to drop their third straight
decision. After working a 1-1 tie in the 3rd period, San Jose let costly
mistakes bite them late to drop their ninth game in the last ten games, losing
3-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights at SAP Center. The same old game plan continues
to cripple San Jose.
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Ready Player 4
Lots of NHL Coaches looking
for work
by Ken Smyth
Peter DeBoer
becomes the fifth NHL head coach to be fired this season, and it's not even
Christmas. The profession has a radioactive half-life of about three years and
it's getting worse. If your seats are behind a team bench you might consider
wearing a dosimeter. He was also the third coach to serve under Doug Wilson
during Wilson's tenure as General Manager. While he doesn't carry the biggest
share of the blame for the team's lousy start and indifferent play, he's the
first one to pay with his job and he knew that going into the profession.
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Wilson plays final card
With staff firings,
what does Doug Wilson have left?
by Mike
Lee
Doug Wilson has played his final card. Mired in one of the worst
starts in team history, the San Jose Sharks General Manger fired head coach
Peter DeBoer and all but one assistant on Wednesday night. By doing so, Wilson
has run out of cards to play himself. General Manager since 2003, Wilson's
Sharks have made a single appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals, losing to the
Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016. Only David Poile of the Nashville Predators has
served longer as the current GM for the same team.
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Caps coast in San Jose
Best road team in the
NHL destroys Sharks
by Mike Lee
The clock
struck December for the Sharks, and their carriage turned into a pumpkin on
Tuesday night. San Jose morphed back into the defenseless discombobulated
hockey team that could nothing right in October, en route to a 5-2 loss to the
Washington Capitals at SAP Center. San Jose scored a pair of goals to book-end
5 straight tallies from the Capitals, who took advantage of a slew of Shark
mistakes. John Carlson scored a goal and added two assists to lead the
Capitals.
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Slow start doesn't stop SJ
Sharks win for
the 11th time in November
by Mike Lee
The
month of November came to an end in terms of scheduled games for San Jose on
Saturday night, but they may not want the month end just yet. San Jose won for
the 11th time in the month, tying a franchise record for wins in the month, by
knocking off the Arizona Coyotes 4-2 in Glendale. San Jose had to shake off a
sluggish start, but would score four unanswered goals to overcome a 2-0 hole.
Martin Jones settled down and stopped 21 shots en route to his 12th win of the
season.
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Jets carve up Sharks on Tgiving eve
Not much
focus in 5-1 drubbing
by Mike Lee
The
Sharks may have hit the turkey a little early. Given their flat performance on
Wednesday night, they skated as if they had tryptophan flowing through their
veins, allowing the visiting Winnipeg Jets to carve them up like a Thanksgiving
turkey in a 5-1 mauling. Winnipeg had 5 different goal scorers and Connor
Hellebuyck made 32 saves to lead the Jets.
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Old man Marleau bails out the Sharks
SJ's
senior statesman bags OT winner in LA
by Mike
Lee
By lacing up the skates on Monday night, Patrick Marleau became
the all-time leader as an opponent vs the Los Angeles Kings, Arizona Coyotes
and Anaheim Ducks. By jumping on the ice in the overtime, Marleau scored his
42nd career goal against the Kings, helping the Sharks survive a wild comeback
by Los Angeles. After taking a 3-0 lead, San Jose let Los Angeles sneak back
into the game, forcing the overtime. Marleau ended things with his 5th goal of
the season on a shot from just outside the left post to give the Sharks a 4-3
win, their third consecutive overtime win.
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Dell and Couture lead Sharks in Vegas
Overtime wins vs Golden Knights never get old
by Mike Lee
Overtime wins are usually dramatic. When it
comes against the Vegas Golden Knights, they're just plain fun. After letting
their slim 1-0 lead slip in the 3rd period, the Sharks regrouped in the
overtime to knock off the Golden Knights in the extra frame when Logan Couture
beat Marc-Andre Fleury on a breakaway chance with 1:40 left.
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Oilers repay Sharks for drubbing
Sharks
6-game win streak ends with little fight
by Mike
Lee
The Edmonton Oilers did not forget the drubbing they took at the
hands of the Sharks last week in San Jose. They got a chance to atone for their
6-3 loss and promptly snapped the Sharks 6-game winning streak with a 5-2 win
at SAP Center on Tuesday night. Like the Sharks last week, Edmonton scored
three 1st period goals to smack San Jose in the chops. The Sharks had no answer
for the speedier Oilers, and never challenged Edmonton after a pair of early
goals sucked the wind out the building.
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Sharks: Back from the Dead
Team crawls back
to .500, but much work remains to be done
by Paul
Krill
In the midst of a five-game winning streak, the Sharks were
named by NHL Network analyst Kevin Weekes a few nights ago as his
most-disappointing team so far this season. That streak, of course, has now
gone to six games. The Sharks have crawled their way out of the hole they dug
themselves in and are now effectively at .500, with a 10-10-1 record.
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Duck hunt nets the Sharks 5th straight win
Three 3rd period goals paces 5-3 victory
by Mike Lee
November is all about home cooking for San
Jose, but they did break things up on Thursday night with a quick jaunt down to
Southern California to take on the Anaheim Ducks. The two teams traded goals in
each of the first two periods, before San Jose jumped out to a 2-goal lead in
the 3rd period on big power play and short-handed goals. San Jose would go on
to win 5-3 and extend their current win streak to 5 games. The win also pulls
the Sharks to within a win of a .500 record, which is a major accomplishment
given the horrific start to the season.
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Quick out of the gate, Sharks win again
Barclay Goodrow's Gordie Howe Hat Trick helps pace
SJ
by Mike Lee
Things are starting to
return to normal. At least, the last four games would suggest so. The Sharks
continue to take advantage of home ice, winning their fourth straight game and
righting the ship a bit after their horrific start. The Sharks knocked off the
Pacific Division leading Edmonton Oilers by a 6-3 score, jumping on the Oilers
early and never looking back. The Sharks scored the game's first four goals,
then coasted to their 8th victory of the season behind 11 losses.
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Wild win over Wild
Sharks hang on for 6-5
win after taking 4-0 lead
by Mike Lee
The
Sharks welcomed an old friend back to the SAP Center on Thursday night. Former
goaltender Alex Stalock returned to SAP and was given the opportunity to start
against his former team. The Sharks were terrible hosts as they put four pucks
past him in the 1st period in a gut punch 20 minutes. San Jose would go on to
score 6 goals in the game, but they allowed the gritty Wild to work their way
back into the game, scoring 3 goals in the 3rd period to draw within a single
goal, setting up a crazy finish. The Sharks would hang on to win their second
straight game, beating the Wild 6-5.
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Skid ends with win over Hawks
San Jose wins
for first time in 6 games
by Mike
Lee
With a five-game losing streak hovering over them like a dark
cloud, the Sharks took advantage of another team trying to find their way on
Tuesday night. San Jose dispatched the visiting Chicago Blackhawks 4-2 at SAP
Center. San Jose jumped out to a 3-0 lead, then had to fend off a late push by
Chicago who pulled within a single goal of San Jose. San Jose received scoring
from four different forwards.
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Sharks drop 5th straight
Even the Canucks
are beating up on the Sharks
by Mike
Lee
News flash. The Sharks stink. They stink so bad, teams they
traditionally have feasted on are coming to SAP Center to settle scores. The
Vancouver Canucks is one of those teams. The Canucks turned the tables on the
hapless Sharks on Saturday night, applying a 5-2 beat down in one of the most
lopsided games of the season. San Jose fell behind 4-0 before they answered
with a short-handed goal in the 3rd period, but this game was long decided.
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| SHARK SNAPSHOT |
|
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| Western Division |
W |
L |
OTL |
Pts |
|
| (1) Vegas |
22 |
7 |
1 |
45 |
|
| (2) Colorado |
20 |
8 |
2 |
42 |
|
| (3) Minnesota |
19 |
10 |
1 |
39 |
|
| (4) St Louis |
16 |
11 |
5 |
37 |
|
| (5) Los Angeles |
13 |
12 |
6 |
32 |
|
| (6) Arizona |
13 |
14 |
5 |
31 |
|
| (7) San Jose |
12 |
14 |
4 |
28 |
|
| (8) Anaheim |
9 |
18 |
6 |
24 |
|
|
|
| SJ Home |
4 |
6 |
2 |
9 |
|
| SJ Road |
8 |
8 |
2 |
18 |
|
|
| Next Game: |
3/24 - 7:30pm |
vs |
 |
|
| Prev Game: |
2-1 W |
vs |
|
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| LEADERS |
| Scoring |
Gm |
G |
A |
Pts |
PIM |
|
| Kane |
30 |
12 |
15 |
27 |
34 |
|
| Couture |
30 |
14 |
9 |
23 |
15 |
|
| Meier |
28 |
6 |
14 |
20 |
12 |
|
| Labanc |
30 |
8 |
11 |
19 |
20 |
|
| Hertl |
24 |
8 |
10 |
18 |
11 |
|
| Goaltending |
W |
L |
OTL |
Sv% |
GAA |
|
| Jones |
9 |
6 |
2 |
.897 |
3.30 |
|
| Dubnyk |
3 |
8 |
2 |
.899 |
3.19 |
|
| Special Teams |
# |
Eff% |
Rnk |
 |
| Power Play |
16/86 |
18.6% |
24th |
|
| Penalty Kill |
83/105 |
79.1% |
15th |
|
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|
|
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|
| RECENT TRANSACTIONS |
|
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| RECENT MILESTONES |
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| Technorati Profile |
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