San Jose Sharks Details
3rd place in the Pacific Division during the 2016-17 season belonged to the San Jose Sharks. A year removed from losing a six-game Stanley Cup Finals series to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Sharks put together another 46-win season, resulting in 99 total points. Head coach Peter DeBoer continued to coach well in his second season behind the bench and the wins were flowing all year in San Jose’s SAP Center. However, the Sharks’ offense left much to be desired, as the team finished 19th in goal-scoring. Much like the fellow-Californian Anaheim Ducks, the Sharks’ defense took the team far. 5th in goals against, San Jose’s blue line played extremely well all year, as did starting goaltender Martin Jones. Jones finished the year with a 35-23-6 record and a 2.40 goals against average. Backup Aaron Dell was solid as well, with an 11-6-1 record and a 2.00 GAA. Unfortunately, a second-straight Stanley Cup Finals appearance was not to be, as the Sharks ran into division rival Edmonton and lost in six games.
2017-18 should be another positive one for San Jose. Returning is two-way defenseman Brent Burns. The bearded star led the team in points a year ago, finishing with 76 including 29 goals. Those 29 goals were tied for the team lead with veteran center Joe Pavelski, who tacked on 38 assists as well. 3rd and 4th on the team scoring list from a year ago were Logan Couture and Joe Thorton, who also return for the upcoming year. San Jose will certainly miss winger Patrick Marleau, however, who signed a three-year deal with Toronto in the offseason. Despite that veteran departure, the Sharks nucleus stays mostly intact for 2017-18.