Preview: Wings @ Sharks

Charlie = ass   7 January 2017

The Sharks-Red Wings rivalry. Once a rivalry for the ages, now….. Well….. Is not. A rivalry that once included spectacular upsets, Solid butt kickings, and heartbreaking moments, is now just a faded memory. However, history and the chance to bust a slump is on the line for San Jose as they welcome the struggling Detroit Red Wings to the SAP Center is this weekend showdown. The last meeting this season did not go well for the boys in teal, with the Wings pulling out a convincing 3-0 win.

 Last ten games: 4-5-1

 Playoffs?: 7th in Atlantic (Ahhhh Detroit, that beautiful Atlantic coast city), 5 points out of playoffs.

 The Scoop: The Detroit Red Wings are not a good hockey team anymore. Buckle up kids, I’m using advanced stats. Their CF% 5v5 (Corsi for) is hot garbage, with 48%, good for 24th in the league, as opposed to San Jose’s 51.1% stat, ranking them 10th. Their CF% 5v5 close ain’t pretty either, with 47.77%, placing them, once again, as 24th in the league. It’s not even them being unlucky, as their PDO is in the top half of the league (100.17, 12th in league), which is near the magic number of 100 where all teams should theoretically regress or progress. So, what you see with Detroit is what you get, and what we’ve seen so far from them ain’t pretty. Despite this, the Wings just came off an solid 4-0 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. This is the last game on their California road trip.

 Why you should hate this team: I’ll let the youtube user Datsyuk132011 explain all we need to know: “11 cups Red  Wings - 0  Sharks.. Whos better??? WINGS BITCHES!! SAN JOSE SUCKS COCK!!!!”

Forget the fact that the Wings won most of their cups when black men couldn’t vote, this is a microcosm of the thinking process of a chunk of their fans. “We have cups so you cannot criticise us we have 11 cups  you have zero lololol.” Fuck em.

 Exciting player to watch: Despite regression, Sweden’s finest Henrik Zetterberg is still an  exciting player and a threat whenever he’s on the ice

 First goal watch: Depth player Riley Sheahan has had an atrocious year so far (0G, 6A, 6P, -14 +/-). Expect him to pot a few today.

 Meanwhile, in San Jose: For all this talk about the Wings being trash, the Sharks haven’t looked awesome either. The Sharks have lost 3 straight, including a facepalm worthy effort against the Minnesota Wild a few nights earlier. A part of this is the continued absence of Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who took a puck to the face against the Flyers. However, the injuries of Hertl, Vlasic, and others mask a bigger problem. We’re just not getting enough scoring. The Sharks PP%  (16.7%, 20th in the league) is inexcusable for a team stocked with such talent. Same could be said for San Jose’s GF/60 (Goals for per 60 minutes, 2.23, 13th in league). This can be attributed to offseasons by certain players like Joe Thornton (2G, 23A, 25P, 38GA), Joonas Donskoi (5G, 8A, 13P, 38GP), and Mikkel Boedker (2G, 6A, 8P, 38GP). The saving grace for San Jose this year has been the stellar play in their own end (GA60, 1.99, 10th in league). Luckily, this can fly in the weak Pacific division, but San Jose ought to figure this out soon if they want any chance of defending Clarence this year, let alone collecting Stanley.

 Goalies: Martin Jones is expected to draw in for San Jose, and backup turned starter Jared Coreau getting the call for Detroit.

Go Sharks!