What microstats say about Sharks at season’s halfway point originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The Sharks keep insisting they’re better than their 12-21-8 record.
The midseason numbers, analytics and otherwise, do provide some support for the claim.
For example, the Sharks are 14th in the NHL, according to SPORTLOGiQ, in quality chances for in all situations, and 17th in quality chances against. Their power play is 20th and their penalty kill is second.
This doesn’t look like a bad team, more like an average one.
What’s bad, though, is their fifth-worst 3.68 goals against per game. Also bad is their league-worst .878 save percentage. And yet, the Sharks are league-average in quality chances against.
You can draw your own conclusions.
Digging deeper into the microstats halfway through the season, you get a better sense of what the Sharks are doing better this season and where they’re still trying to get better.
Slot shot attempts off the rush
Last year, the Sharks were 30th in the NHL with 2.57 goals per game. They’ve managed to improve their offense to 3.05 goals per game this season, good for 21st in the league. This upgrade appears for real: Like I mentioned, they’re 14th in the NHL in quality chances for after finishing 28th in this category last season.
One area where they’re creating a lot more chances?
The Sharks are a much more dangerous team off the rush.
They’re 15th in the league with 6.13 slot shot attempts off the rush at even strength. They were 31st with 4.9 slot shot attempts off the rush last year.
“We’re trying to be more on our toes offensively, defensively,” Kevin Labanc offered, “make sure that we’re being aggressive in all three zones.”
“One of the reasons I think that we’re able to create more chances on the rush is I think we pressure pucks and turn over more pucks,” Sharks coach David Quinn said. “That’s a pivotal piece of creating offense is forcing turnovers, especially in the neutral zone.”
Related?
Loose puck recovery
General manager Mike Grier made a point this offseason of acquiring high-compete players like Nico Sturm, Matt Benning, Steven Lorentz and Luke Kunin to help the Sharks get to loose pucks and win puck battles.
The Sharks have shown gains in this department: They’re 10th in the NHL in offensive zone contested loose puck recovery win percentage and 12th in defensive zone contested loose puck recovery win percentage, both at even strength. They were 28th and 18th, respectively, in those categories last season.
“I think we have a lot of urgency in the locker room,” alternate captain Mario Ferraro said.
Sturm noted, “Everything essentially comes down to the puck battles.”
Slot passes against
The Sharks have become one of the NHL’s best teams in stopping passes from going through their slot. That’s a good way to prevent quality chances against.
They’re fourth in the league with 10.7 slot passes against per game at even strength. They were allowing 13.5 per game, 25th in the NHL, last season.
Part of their improvement is tactical: The Sharks are employing a zone defense in zone this season, as opposed to man-to-man.
“I think it’s our mindset that we’re trying to defend more as a unit of five,” Ferraro said. “Everybody work together and stay in the small rink. A lot of goals are scored inside those hash marks.”
Rush chances against
All is not swimming in San Jose, of course, otherwise, we wouldn’t be trying so hard to defend a team currently nine games below .500 and 13 points out of the NHL playoffs.
“We’ve talked about the magnitude of our mistakes. That’s really one of our bigger problems,” Quinn suggested on what the Sharks could do to help their goalies play their way out of a league-worst save percentage. “Our mistakes are just too big to overcome. We may make the same amount or maybe sometimes a little less than our opponent, but our mistakes are too big.”
He’s talking about some of the ugly turnovers that the Sharks have coughed up at key moments this season.
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The Sharks are 29th in the NHL in slot shot attempts against off the rush at even strength – they’re essentially giving up a lot off the counterattack this season. They were ninth in this category last year.
But regardless, the Sharks think they’re close. And they feel close … except where it counts. At midseason last year, they were 21-18-2.
“It feels like we’re in everything. We’re in every battle. We’re in every situation. We’re in every game,” Nick Bonino said. “That’s what makes it so frustrating sitting where we are.”
