The surging Sharks

Some people laughed when San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson acquired Kyle Wellwood and Ben Eager in mid-January. But since then, the joke has been on the Sharks’ opponents and those who believed San Jose couldn’t make a big move up the weekly THN.com Power Rankings.

Since the arrivals of Eager and Wellwood, the Sharks have lost just twice in regulation (13-2-1), won six straight games and have vaulted up to sixth spot in our rankings and top spot in the competitive Pacific Division.

To do so, they’ve depended on the usual suspects – Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley are once again Nos. 1 and 2 in team scoring, with Patrick Marleau a close fourth – and also received help from youngsters Logan Couture (25 goals and 44 points), Ryane Clowe (30 assists and 48 points) and Devin Setoguchi (18 goals). On the back end, Antti Niemi has emerged as their clear No. 1 goalie (with a 23-15-3 mark, 2.44 goals-against average and .920 save percentage), while Dan Boyle anchors the defense and serves as one of the team’s best playmakers (31 assists in 62 games).

This week, the Sharks kick off a six-game homestand with a match Tuesday against slumping Colorado, followed by tougher games against Detroit Thursday and Dallas Saturday.

The Hockey News ranks the teams 1-30 each Monday based on a combination of last week’s play and a squad’s overall outlook.

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