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Erik Karlsson has said it more than once since the start of training camp. And he's right.
Every season has a new set of challenges. And that means this Sharks team is going to have to find new ways to win.
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"I think this year is going to pose different struggles than it did last year," Karlsson said. "Things we did last year probably won't be as good. That's how it is every year. Things change and you're going to have to adapt."
He isn't wrong. Bench boss Peter DeBoer said something very similar on the first day of camp. San Jose is coming off a season in which it scored the second-most goals in the NHL.
However, they also gave up their fair share of goals, and are closing the door on an offseason where they lost some of their established offensive firepower. Long story short: The Sharks will have to find other ways to win games this season.
How exactly will they do that? It's actually a question that isn't too difficult to answer. The Sharks have to tighten up defensively.
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"The foundation of our game since I got here has always been about defending well," DeBoer said. "We did score last year, we did give up too much in that area. And I thought we started to find a little bit of a happy medium down the stretch and through the playoffs. But, you know, for us to always start with defending hard and getting the puck back so that we can create on offense."
One of the biggest problems San Jose ran into last season was defensive breakdowns. Issues with giving the middle of the ice away to opposing offenses led to too many breakaway opportunities. Add in that both of the Sharks' goaltenders had down seasons, and the team had a recipe for helping their opponents find the back of the net.
It wasn't just the blue line that was giving up scoring chances either -- San Jose's entire defensive effort was melting down too often. Even if the Sharks jumped out to an early lead at the start of a game, there would occasionally be instances when the defense would slip in the second frame, giving the opposing team an opportunity to make a comeback.
Hopefully, with a healthy blue line and Bob Boughner back on San Jose's coaching staff, those breakdowns can be minimized.
Needless to say, if San Jose is going to stop pucks from getting to the back of the net, both of its goaltenders need to have better seasons. The team never stopped showing their support for Martin Jones last season despite his struggles, and largely shouldered the blame when their defense broke down. Nevertheless, neither Jones or Aaron Dell had strong 2018-19 seasons and will have to be better for San Jose to be successful this season.
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A big key for the Sharks will be to not let opponents get on the scoreboard so early in games. Whether it was the fault of the defense or a hiccup on Jones' part, San Jose developed a bad habit of giving up early goals and putting themselves on their heels.
If the Sharks can regularly put up a strong defensive front from the drop of the puck and generate offense that way, they should be in even better shape for the season.