Three Keys To Victory: Sharks Visit Utah HC For The First Time In Franchise History
Utah HC and the San Jose Sharks officially face off for the first time in team history tonight. The Sharks are still seeking their first win.
Stan Szeto-Imagn Images - Three Keys To Victory: Sharks Visit Utah HC For The First Time In Franchise HistoryUtah HC and the San Jose Sharks officially face off for the first time in team history tonight. The Sharks are still seeking their first win.
Here are three keys to the Sharks earning their first win:
1. Secondary Scoring
Slow starts aren't the only thing plaguing the Sharks during their nine-game losing streak. Before Nico Sturm scored the team's second goal on Saturday against the Vegas Golden Knights, Mikael Granlund scored the last three goals.
Granlund has been terrific at the start of the season, scoring ten points (four goals, six assists) in nine games.
If the Sharks want to win, other parties must jump in on the scoring.
2. Limit high-danger chances
According to Moneypuck.com, the Sharks have given up the fifth-most high-danger shots in the league, 40. Mackenzie Blackwood has dealt with many high-danger shots throughout his Sharks career.
According to NHL EDGE, the high-danger shots are even higher, at 78. Blackwood has faced 45 high-danger shots and stopped 40. Vitek Vanecek hasn't been as successful, stopping only 26 of 33.
The Sharks need to limit the high-danger chances, as Utah HC has elite top talent who can score with a terrific shot.
3. Nothing to lose
San Jose has already set the record of being the first team in league history to lose the first nine games of a season in back-to-back seasons, so what else is there to lose?
Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky has pushed his team from the start of training camp to get the best effort out of each player. Those efforts were met with some quality play throughout the first three games of the season. Since then, the effort hasn't disappeared, but there isn't any reason why they can't get back to that level of play.
Defenseman Mario Ferraro guaranteed a win tonight, giving the Sharks extra motivation to make that come true.
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