
SAN JOSE –- One of the supposed strengths of this years Sharks team, and something they were desperately missing last season, was the team’s forward depth. The thinking went that the younger players were all a year older, while there were some notable offseason additions like Joel Ward and the surprising Joonas Donskoi.
Through the first week of the season that looked to be the case, as Pete DeBoer consistently rolled four lines in four straight wins. There were contributions on the scoresheet up and down the lineup.
Another week and a half later, though, the Sharks just aren’t getting enough from players not in the top six. Injuries have played a role, of course, especially losing Logan Couture, but in their last six games the Sharks have just one goal that hasn’t been generated by the top two lines.
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Against Nashville on Wednesday, the third line consisted of Tommy Wingels, Chris Tierney and Matt Nieto. That was a group that found chemistry late last season, and DeBoer is counting on them to find it again.
“We expect more. We need more, especially with the injuries to Couture and [Melker] Karlsson,” DeBoer said. “We need those lines to be identity lines, and to bring a consistent game every night.
“They know they weren’t great. I think it was a little too cute, a little too fancy. Turned the puck over a little too much, which they’ve got to eliminate from their game. But, we talked about that, and they’ll get an opportunity to fix that next game.”
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Although Wingels and Tierney were on the ice for the Predators’ game-winning score in the third period, and along with Nieto combined for six of the team’s 16 recorded giveaways, it did seem like they were just a split-second late on a few promising offensive rushes or Nashville managed to get just enough of the puck to break up a pass.
Against the Hurricanes on Saturday, Tierney beautifully set up Wingels with a soft dish through the neutral zone that resulted in Wingels’ first goal of the season. Perhaps they are on the verge of breaking through again.
“It definitely felt like that,” Wingels said. “Talking to Chris the past couple of games, we’re just a quarter second too late on a play or the pass is a foot off. So, we can shore it up and be better, and definitely look to contribute more offensively.”
Nieto said: “The plays are there to be made. The [Predators] would get a stick on it, or something would happen that if they got through they would be key scoring chances. It just didn’t come together for us yesterday, and we’re looking forward to the weekend.”
Headed into their back-to-back road games on Saturday and Sunday in Dallas and Denver, the Sharks are as healthy as they can hope to be in the near future while Couture continues to recover from a fractured foot and Karlsson remains a question mark with a lower body injury.
This is the group that will either show that it has what it takes to overcome missing a key piece or two, or falter without their second-leading scorer and rookie of the year from a season ago.
DeBoer would like his third liners, as well as some others, to play a more simple game as they try and get out of a stretch of four regulation losses in the last five games.
“That was the message to not just that line, but a lot of guys this morning that I thought could have brought a little bit more [Wednesday] night,” he said. “Let’s simplify and make sure we know what we are. Not everybody is [Joe] Pavelski or [Joe] Thornton. You’ve got to do what you do best.”
Wingels said: “When we have an opportunity to make plays, make plays, but when we don’t have it, maybe simplify a little bit. … We’re hoping and thinking we’re going to get a few games together here, and we can be better than what we’ve been.”