Analytics
Quick Thoughts: It’s Going To Be a Long Season, This Short Season

“I gotta give their goalie credit. He made some big saves at the right time. I thought that was the difference.”
That’s what Bob Boughner said about Kaapo Kähkönen’s performance in the San Jose Sharks’ 6-2 loss to Minnesota.
What did he have to say about his goaltender Martin Jones’s performance?
Well, nothing. In fairness, the press contingent didn’t ask Boughner any questions about Jones, who was pulled after four goals in 20 shots.
But after Boughner laid into Jones two weeks ago, what more can he say to us?
That’s how tired the topic is, I think, of the San Jose Sharks’ goaltending.
It’s going to be a long season, this short season.
Jones, by the way, has already been pulled four times this season. He’s well on his way to breaking his own personal record:
Times Pulled | Games Started | % of Pulls | |
---|---|---|---|
2020-21 | 4 | 12 | 33.3% |
2019-20 | 3 | 40 | 7.5% |
2018-19 | 5 | 62 | 8.1% |
2017-18 | 7 | 60 | 11.7% |
2016-17 | 3 | 65 | 4.6% |
2015-16 | 4 | 65 | 6.2% |
2014-15 | 1 | 11 | 9.1% |
2013-14 | 1 | 18 | 5.6% |
Giving Up Goals Like Grapes
Speaking of old topics, the San Jose Sharks continue to give up goals in bunches.
This was the 14th time this season that San Jose has allowed two unanswered goals in under five minutes or three-or-more straight goals in under 10 minutes. This is in just 16 games and not counting any empty netters:
- 2 goals against in 3:26 @ Arizona on Jan. 14
- 2 goals against in 2:10, 2 goals against in 3:43 @ Arizona on Jan. 16
- 2 goals against in 1:33, 2 goals against in 4:43 @ St. Louis on Jan. 18
- 5 goals against in 9:33, 2 goals against in 1:31 @ Colorado on Jan. 26
- 3 goals against in 8:59 @ Colorado on Jan. 28
- 3 goals against in 8:19 @ Anaheim on Feb. 5
- 3 goals against in 9:55, 3 goals against in 2:05 @ Los Angeles on Feb. 11
- 2 goals against in 4:20 @ St. Louis on Feb. 18
- 2 goals against in 3:11 @ St. Louis on Feb. 20
- 2 goals against in 0:11 vs. Minnesota on Feb. 22
On the other hand, the Sharks have done this just five times to their opponents this year:
- 2 goals for in 4:08 @ Arizona on Jan. 14
- 2 goals for in 2:40 @ St. Louis on Jan. 18
- 3 goals for in 9:24 @ Minnesota on Jan. 24
- 3 goals for in 7:25 @ Anaheim on Feb. 5
- 2 goals for in 2:46 @ St. Louis on Feb. 20
Brent Burns and Logan Couture had no concrete answers to this problem.
“You want to settle it down and communicate what the roles are,” Burns said. “Then it comes down to execution.”
Couture offered: “We kind of let the game come to us at times. That’s a bad habit we have right now after goals [against].
“We let the game come to us; we’re not attacking it.”
Stepping Up
At the beginning of training camp, who would’ve thought it would be Nikolai Knyzhov with the San Jose Sharks’ first fighting major of the year?
Foligno bloodied Knyzhov badly enough that he called for the linesman to stop the fight and skated away pic.twitter.com/MeJ3rAw369
— CJ Fogler #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) February 23, 2021
Knyzhov, on fighting Foligno: "It was a good way to get that monkey off my back."
Burns: "You want to capitalize on that courage, stepping up for us. I don't think we did it."
Couture: "Just a cool story. A kid who was never given anything. Never drafted. Worked his ass off."
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) February 23, 2021
Nikolai Knyzhov on Marcus Foligno pulling up during their fight: "I don't remember that first punch, I think that's what got me."
Said he didn't realize how good Foligno got him on the visor and how bloodied he'd become.
— 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶 𝗣𝗶𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲 (@jessi_pierce) February 23, 2021
Foligno https://t.co/bfTIg2S8lJ pic.twitter.com/Dn4PJ47ccA
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) February 23, 2021
Speaking of responses, a huge one awaits this Thursday versus the Vegas Golden Knights. How will the San Jose Sharks come out after losing arguably the most winnable contest of this daunting eight-game homestand that otherwise features Vegas, Colorado, and St. Louis? And will the Sharks step up after Jonathan Marchessault’s runs at Radim Simek on Feb. 13?
A rookie defenseman did it, who’s next?
Even though I still had a hard time spelling his name, I’ve been generally very impressed with Nik, kinda came out of nowhere to get that bottom pairing spot and has done more than that since. It was not nice seeing Ferraro learning the starfish move from Burns on the first goal and then Burns losing coverage on the second. But the backbreaker was the 5th one for sure. Does Hertl seems a little slower to you guys recently? I think the knees are good and hes the go to guy for entering th zone on pp1 but just the… Read more »
Might be part of Hertl’s recovery, that’s what a scout was telling me
These kind of games used to get buried in a long season. Now it’s damaging. I know that the goalie gets too much focus when we give up a lot of goals, this is still a team game. I see other teams in the ready for defense. How is it that we don’t do that? I watch our boys play and it appears they’re down a man at all times. We have some disconnect going on here. Is it the players? The coaching? The management? Or is it a bit of everything?? Team teal played a rather good game. Every… Read more »
You’re right, not a great game but a lot of bad luck. Unfortunately, such games won’t get buried this season.
There is just something missing somewhere…
A bit of everything I say. There’s obvious talent, more obvious than last year, but lacks polish. I’m not sure any coaching staff could bring that immediately.