Sheng Peng
It should be easy money.
Step 1, put Erik Karlsson, the passer, at the top of the power play formation. Step 2, place right-hander Brent Burns, the shooter, on the left flank for the one-timer. Step 3, PROFIT.
For the San Jose Sharks, however, this investment has yet to pay a consistent yield. Is it time to split Karlsson and Burns on the power play…again?
This is the third year they’ve tried it, unsuccessfully, and you get why they persist: From 2015-20, no defenseman has scored more goals than Burns’s 96. In this period of time, only one defenseman has more assists than Karlsson’s 249 – that’s Burns, who has 250.
Not deploying them on the same power play unit feels like having Superman and Batman but telling them they can’t team up.
“You need both those weapons on your first unit,” Bob Boughner insisted during training camp. “One can be at the top, one can be on the flank. You can flip-flop them.”
After a 5-for-11 start this season on the power play, however, the San Jose Sharks have been sinking: They’re one for their last 23.
And lest you think this is simply a short-term power outage – and of course, I’m not blaming only Karlsson and Burns for the team-wide short circuit – Natural Stat Trick would beg to differ:
| 5v4 Power Play | 2018-21 | Time on Ice | Corsi For/60 | Shots/60 | Scoring Chances/60 | High-Danger Corsi For/60 | Goals/60 | Expected Goals/60 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erik Karlsson | w/ Brent Burns | 186.3166667 | 99.83 | 55.39 | 46.05 | 19.97 | 6.12 | 6.44 |
| Erik Karlsson | w/o Brent Burns | 155.5166667 | 113.43 | 59.03 | 60.19 | 26.62 | 8.87 | 7.52 |
| Brent Burns | w/o Erik Karlsson | 275.1166667 | 111.66 | 61.28 | 59.97 | 25.52 | 6.98 | 7.93 |
From Shot Attempts to Scoring Chances to High-Danger Shot Attempts to Expected Goals to Actual Goals, Karlsson and Burns appear to work much better separately at 5-on-4.
Don’t believe the numbers?
“It looks like there’s no chemistry between Karlsson and Burns,” an NHL scout told me.
That’s “no chemistry” even though it’s been 28 months since Karlsson was traded to San Jose.
If it feels like I’ve written this before – I have.
Last year, another NHL scout opined: “Burns is just much better at the top. Both players want the puck to set up goals. Only one can do that at a time. Their skill-sets, albeit both incredible, don’t work together.”
This scout suggested that the San Jose Sharks, by forcing Burns to the flank, weren’t maximizing his abilities. Through no fault of his own, Burns isn’t Alex Ovechkin.
“Our best players have to be our best players” has been San Jose’s mantra all off-season. And maybe Karlsson and Burns are at their best, apart?
What SPORTLOGiQ Says
According to SPORTLOGiQ, the San Jose Sharks could stand to improve in these three key power play micro-stats:
“We’re not sharp enough. We don’t have many chances. We’re fighting with the puck,” Hertl said. “Always, 10 seconds, they’re clearing it.”