Losing four of their top six defensemen and three experienced forwards, including one of their leading scorers, to the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol could have been disastrous for a Sharks team that was already in the throes of a three-game losing streak late last month.
Instead, the Sharks kept it together and came out of the ordeal about as well as could be expected.
Although the Sharks were disappointed with their 4-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday, it appears now that they’ll at least be able to turn the page on the whole ordeal.
Seven players, including defenseman Erik Karlsson and top-line winger Timo Meier, were expected to fly from the Bay Area to Denver on Thursday and rejoin the team for practice on Friday. It’s unclear how many of those players will play Saturday against the Colorado Avalanche, but the Sharks should at least have more options available in terms of the type of lineup they want to dress.
A Sharks went 3-2-1 after the COVID saga began and enter Friday in sixth place in the Pacific Division, five points back of the first-place Edmonton Oilers. Forwards Timo Meier and Kevin Labanc have missed the last five games.
“We’ve got 11 guys (who have) under 50 (NHL) games in the lineup, and you wouldn’t know it over the last five, six games,” Sharks forward Nick Bonino said. “Guys have played the right way. We’re a good team. The organizational depth, coming into this organization, is great. Camp was good and that’s what you need to get in the playoffs.
“You go 1-5, you put yourself behind the eight ball. So to come out of this with a winning record and continue on the road with maybe some guys back is really big for us.”
Here are six observations from the last six Sharks games.
TRUST THE SYSTEM: When the Sharks started the season with a 4-0-0 record, it was easy for the coaching staff to get the buy-in that they needed to make this a more successful season than the past two. Even when the four straight wins were followed by three straight losses, the Sharks could point to what went wrong, and it usually involved getting away from their meat-and-potatoes identity.
Now that the Sharks’ system, that’s also employed by the Barracuda, has shown it can still be a winning one even with a depleted lineup, more trust is likely to follow.
“You can see the good teams in this league really do that,” Sharks coach Bob Boughner said Wednesday. “Boston for years, Pittsburgh for years, every time they get four or five injuries, they bring guys up from the minors and they almost don’t miss a beat and we’re at that point. We’re getting there where it’s pretty fluid back and forth.”
DEFENSIVE DEPTH: Ryan Merkley, Jaycob Megna, and Nicolas Meloche – the three defensemen who were recalled Oct. 30 on an emergency basis – all showed the strengths of their game, and at times, their weaknesses as well.
Merkley has high-end offensive talent and has made strides defensively, although there’s still work to be done there. Above all. he needs to be more consistent and become a player that the Boughner and the coaching staff can rely on, so they know what they’re going to get on a night-to-night basis.
Megna is a no-frills defenseman. Generally speaking, he makes safe, smart plays with the puck, although he might have been a bit too aggressive late in the second period that resulted in a Jets’ 2-on-1 and a goal by Jansen Harkins/
Meloche is along those same lines – a guy who is at his best when you don’t notice him because he’s not getting himself into trouble.
We’ll see who the Sharks’ defense pairs are for Saturday’s game, and who the seventh defenseman is. But the Sharks have to feel better about their defensive depth now than last season.
THE OTHER MERKLEY: Nick Merkley, also recalled Oct. 30, made a bid to stay with the big club past Thursday with a goal and two assists in six games and some all-around hustle and heady play.
Some guys have to return to the AHL with the Sharks getting back Meier, Labanc and Nieto, although Lane Pederson’s status for Saturday might be in question after he took a big hit from Jets defenseman Logan Stanley. At the very least, Nick Merkley showed he can play in the NHL, and could be an asset to the Sharks down the line, if not sooner.
BONINO STILL STRUGGLING: Nick Bonino’s points drought reached 13 games with Thursday’s loss. Despite playing on a line with Logan Couture the last three games after William Eklund was returned to Sweden, Bonino had just four shots on goal and was unable to crack the scoresheet.
Bonino had a season-low 11:29 in ice time Thursday, and his disillusionment with how things are going right now was evident. He’ll likely be back in the bottom six forward group for Saturday’s game with Meier slated to return.
“I can’t remember the last slump I had like this,” Bonino said Thursday night. “I feel like I’m doing the right things, playing the right way, helping the team. But, pretty frustrating to not produce for the guys. Just searching for that point that usually gets you on the right track.
“When I shoot, it doesn’t go in. If I pass to someone, it doesn’t go in. No bounces. Nothing. So just keep sticking with it. We’re gonna get some guys back here, o I’m not sure where I’ll end up. But for me, just try to play the right way and work out of this.”
PENALTY KILL: What more can be said about the Sharks’ penalty kill right now. The unit killed three more power plays Thursday and is now 16-for-16 in the five games. The Sharks, with a smart yet aggressive style, came into Thursday second in the league in penalty kill percentage at 90.3 (28 for 31).
BURNS IS BACK: Well, of course, Brent Burns didn’t go anywhere. But the way he produced points and chewed up minutes over the last six games evoked memories of when he was a finalist for the Norris Trophy three times between 2016 and 2019.
Playing alongside Mario Ferraro, Burns had one goal and eight assists in six games without Karlsson, Vlasic, Simek, and Middleton, not to mention Meier and Labanc. He also averaged 27:52 of ice time per game, the fourth-most in the NHL among all skaters.
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