Feb. 16, 2011
RATTO ARCHIVE
SHARKS PAGESHARKS VIDEO
Ray Ratto
CSNCalifornia.com
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In the last month, the Sharks have cured themselves of their most pernicious impulsesthe ones that whisper in their heads, Youre fine right here at the blue line. Someone else can backcheck this shift, and Youre a skill team first, youre a skill team first.
We know this because in that month, theyve gone 10-2-0-1, averaging almost three goals and allowing fewer than two per game. Next to Vancouver, which is the best team in the West, Minnesota, which plays nothing but defense, and Calgary, which was dead and now is anything but, it is the best goal differential in the conference over that span.
RELATED: NHL Conference standings
But you know why the games played earlythe ones that the Sharks gave away while they were having their crises of identity -- matter? Because other teams are hot now, too, and there are too many teams still in play for them to feel anything but the adrenalized panic of knowing there are no more days off. This morning, only two teams can be safely pronounced as dead, Colorado and Edmonton, and a third, St. Louis, has never really enjoyed a stretch where one could say, Theyre about ready to break out. In fact, here are the standings since January 15, and make of these what you will: TEAM W L OTL SOL PTS GF GA
CALGARY 10 2 21 235742
SAN JOSE 10 2 0 1 21 37 25
VANCOUVER 8 3 22204732
MINNESOTA 9 3 18 38 22
LOS ANGELES 8 3 1 1 18 29 21
NASHVILLE 7 5 2 1 17 38 34
ANAHEIM 8 3 16 35 30
COLUMBUS 7 3 1 1 16 39 32
PHOENIX 86163938
DETROIT 75143637
DALLAS 5 7 1113334
CHICAGO 4 43113534
ST. LOUIS 4 5 2 1 11 31 40
EDMONTON 311173348
COLORADO 2 10 42352
What they tell me is this: The Sharks have discovered what they are truly good at, have played their tails to the coccyx, have had as good a run as theyve had in some time, and havent really separated themselves from any part of the field not called Edmonton, Colorado or St. Louis.
You cannot reasonably argue that they have been the best team in the West because that is Calgary, which was 14th and only eight points of Edmonton at the time. Nor can you envy them over Vancouver, even though Vancouver goes through defensemen they way you go through socks. But Calgary gave up a lot more ground early than San Jose did, and Vancouver wins all the time. But everyone else? Detroit: Showing a bit of wear despite a light schedule. Phoenix: The epitome of the average team, except that they stink at home. Anaheim: Not many games, but won most of them. Dallas: Running out of steam, and now without Brad Richards, whom they are thinking of trading anyway. Nashville: The best goalie and the best defense pairs overcome a dreadful attack. Minnesota: Todd Richards had no problem getting his team to understand its identity, unlike his mentor, Todd McLellan. Los Angeles: Like Nashville, is defense first. Has the best goal differential of any Pacific Division team, and still sits last. Chicago: Stuck in the mud all year long. Comes from knowing your best days are in the rear-view mirror. Columbus: 7-3-1-1 is a decent record. Going from 13th to 12th isnt that impressive. In summation, the Sharks were 11th but in the race a month ago. Now, after playing their best hockey their best way and without having any injuries to speak of, theyre seventh and in the race. What theyve done, then, is enjoy the benefits of Dallas coming back to the pack and play just slightly better than Los Angeles, Anaheim and Phoenix. But out of the woods they clearly are not. Theyve learned who they are, which certainly beats continuing to delude themselves, but the conference hasnt gotten any easier to solve. Lesson: November, December and January may not seem like much to you, but it makes an enormous difference. In this case, the difference between home safe and dry and worrying about first-round matchups, and in the middle of a thicket that shows no signs of getting any less thorny.