Sharks' last win over the Capitals partly responsible for recent success

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SAN JOSE -- Even though the Sharks last played the Capitals right before their break, their victory over the reigning Stanley Cup champs is being pinpointed as a spark to their recent success.

But can a dramatic win like the one the Sharks had over the Capitals really carry over a ten-day break into the last stretch of the season? As Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer told the media after Wednesday’s morning skate, it absolutely can.

“It was a big win for a bunch of reasons,” he said.

For starters, it helped Team Teal go into their break on a high note. Leading up to that game on January 22, they had dropped three straight contests and allowed six goals in each of them. DeBoer acknowledged that, at that point in the campaign, the fatigue from the rigorous schedule and frustration over dropping multiple games was setting in.

“We were obviously floundering. We were running on fumes headed into the break there,” he said. “The win and the way we won set up our break so we could enjoy it and feel good about ourselves.”

Having a good taste in their mouths has clearly helped the team as the final 30 games of the regular season have gotten underway. San Jose has since won all five of their games since returning from the bye week.

They have cut that six goals-against down to just two goals-against in each game, and have given up the fewest goals in the entire league during that span. San Jose’s offense has also really picked up steam during this time, putting them second in the league during that time with 23 goals scored. (The Toronto Maple Leafs and St. Louis Blues each have 24 goals during that stretch.)

Not to mention San Jose’s penalty kill has gotten back to being it’s dominant self, functioning at a 90-percent success rate since returning from the bye week.

Sure, there’s no way of knowing if the Sharks would be on the same dominant run had they dropped that game to the Capitals back on January 22. It’s pretty clear though, that the crazy 7-6 victory and a mix of rest helped put the Sharks in this position as they get ready to face Washington one more time.

[RELATED: Sharks projected lines against Caps]

“The win and the way we won set up our break, (and) coming out of the break we’ve been really good. For sure, those things go hand in hand,” DeBoer concluded.

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