Karl Yu
Epoch Times Staff |
Apr 02, 2008 |
March has been especially good to the San Jose Sharks, with no losses in regulation time and a 13–0–2 record, clinching the Pacific Division title in the process.
In fact, the last losing streak the Sharks endured came in mid-February when the team dropped four straight, but it has been good times in the Bay Area ever since. San Jose even won at the trade deadline.
Unlike the Dallas Stars who acquired highly-coveted forward Brad Richards at the trade deadline and then went 2–7–2 in March, the Sharks have only improved their record after acquiring former Buffalo defenseman Brian Campbell at the deadline.
On top of the undefeated regulation record that followed his arrival in California, Campbell has notched 18 points in 18 games with a plus/minus rating of +10.
Special teams are always important in the NHL, and Campbell has done his part to contribute to the Sharks' power play, assisting on nine power-play goals as their blue-line quarterback. The Sharks are sixth in the league with 67 power play goals.
San Jose is also getting the job done while short-handed, being tied for third in the league by killing off 85.2 percent of their penalties.
But a team doesn't clinch a division and isn't a Stanley Cup contender based on a trade deadline acquisition alone—San Jose is loaded from bottom to top.
It still amazes people that San Jose only needed to part with defenseman Brad Stuart and centers Wayne Primeau and Marco Sturm to acquire center Joe Thornton from the Boston Bruins back in 2005. And the Sharks were able get the superstar center at a bargain price.
As it stands, Sturm is the only player from the deal that remains in Beantown and Thornton has continued his elite play with San Jose, winning the Hart trophy as the league's MVP back in 2006.
Thornton might be a long shot for the NHL's MVP this year, but he is having another fine season. The 6-foot-4-inch, 235-pounder is in the top five in points and is leading the league in assists.
As with any good hockey team San Jose possesses quality goaltending in the form of Evgeni Nabokov.
Last year the team had the potent one–two punch of Nabokov and Vesa Toskala. Toskala started 33 games last year to Nabokov's 49.
With Toskala in Toronto this year, Nabokov has had no problems shouldering the extra workload, starting in over 70 games and achieving a career best 2.14 goals against average.
And if a hot goalie, superstar center, and offensive-minded defenseman aren't enough, consider San Jose's road record. The Sharks own the league's best road record at 27–8–4.
If you still need convincing, check out the latest Stanley Cup odds from Las Vegas.
According to Web site www.vegasinsider.com, the San Jose Sharks are 7/1 favorites to take home this year's Stanley Cup [after Anaheim at 5/1 and Detroit at 11/2], and it's easy to see why.