Sharks Stoke Fear of the Fin

A recent surge in victories has shown the San Jose Sharks to be at the top of their game. Going into Tuesday’s outing, the Sharks had won seven of nine and held second place in their division. The Sharks are starting to win games at home and center Joe Pavelski’s 24 goals and 48 points are proving that he’s the real deal. For the first time this year, foes really do “fear the fin.” Betting on the Sharks has been rewarding of late, but there’s reason to be cautious of return in the future.

Line Scheme

This season Coach Peter DeBoer brought in a philosophy of a deep, interchangeable four-line scheme, and that has had its good moments. While centers Pavelski, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau have come through with the “lines share” of scoring, the mix-and-match wing situation has gone wanting. Joonas Donskoi has contributed, but Melker Karlsson’s ice time has waned, Dainius Zubrus has been injured much of the season, and Matt Nieto has put up only 11 points.

While the Sharks were 4-0-2 over six home games going into Tuesday’s home outing against Colorado, they’re still just 9-12-2 at home this season. They trail the L.A. Kings by nine points in the Pacific Division despite having their longest point streak since 2014. Thornton has 22 points in his past 17 games, and he and Pavelski demonstrate San Jose’s scoring ability. The team is fourth in the league in goals per game and third in power play percentage. But they are way down the ladder in defensive stats.

"I'm not disappointed with our effort or game. I thought we played a real good hockey game." - DeBoer #SJSharks https://t.co/MoDYf5Mhkr

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) January 25, 2016

Betting The Sharks

The Sharks still have a lot to do this year before they get my respect in any futures betting odds or single game matchups. Hockey is streaky, and this team is just as liable to fall into a slump as maintain their winning ways. They need to provide some defensive help for keeper Martin Jones, and get more consistent contribution from wingers. And they must be more consistent on home ice. After the Avalanche game, San Jose hits the road for four straight. These are games to monitor in order to gather more info on their prospects. Until then, don’t bite.