The Strength of Schedule has been under-reported and undervalued for the San Jose Sharks season.

The Strength of Schedule has been under-reported and undervalued for the San Jose Sharks season.

With a record of 9-29-3, San Jose sits dead last in the NHL. Their strength of schedule has been the hardest of any team across the entire league through the first 41 games. While the Sharks didn't expect to win this season, losing this much wasn't thought of either. The schedule may have contributed to that.

According to The Athletic, San Jose played 25 games against teams projected to have over 100 points this season. The next closest team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, has played 20.

From The Athletic: VAN x4, VGK x3, COL x3, CAR x2, BOS x2, EDM x2, FLA x2, WPG x2, LAK x2, TOR x2, NYR

The Sharks are also off to one of the worst starts in NHL history in terms of goal differential. 

San Jose averages just under two goals a game and has scored 81 goals in 41 games this season. They have given up a league-high 171 goals against. The next closest team is the Columbus Blue Jackets, who have given up 155. The Blue Jackets have scored 126 goals this season. 

Head coach David Quinn will be the first to admit that their schedule has been challenging but that nobody will feel sorry for the Sharks because this is the NHL. 

"We're going to get out of this. It's been a bear of a schedule. We're not playing Los Gatos High, you know? We'll come back tomorrow," Quinn said after the Sharks 2-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. "Whether we got to play perfect, I don't know. I just know we're going to keep playing better."

San Jose has also played just five games where their opponent is projected under 85 points, and only one of those teams is projected in the bottom five spots of the league.

San Jose started the season with seven of their first eight games against teams considered to be Stanley Cup Contenders. Their first four games were against last season's division winners, followed up with the team that lost in the Stanley Cup Final as their fifth game.

VGK, COL, CAR, BOS, FLA, TB, CAR

Per The Athletic, their average opponent strength from the first 41 games was 98 points. In the next 41 games, that number drops to 87.

"Of course, that's expected to ease up significantly in the second half as their expected opponent quality looks to go down to 87 points for the easiest schedule in the league. Just nine of their remaining games are against 100-plus-point teams, and they have 16 games remaining against the league's bottom-feeders."

The Sharks will still struggle and likely finish the season in the bottom three, but they will have more opportunities to win games simply due to their opponents' quality. 

San Jose has lost 12 games in a row and faces the Montreal Canadiens tonight. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's San Jose Sharks site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.

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