Micro-Stats Suggest Sharks Better Than Their Record

The San Jose Sharks keep insisting that they’re better than their 12-21-8 record.

The mid-season numbers, analytics and otherwise, do provide some support for the claim.

Just for example, the Sharks are 14th in the NHL, according to SPORTLOGiQ, in Quality Chances For in All Situations, and 17th in Quality Chances Against. Their power play is 20th and their penalty kill is second.

This doesn’t look like a bad team, more like an average one.

What’s bad though is their fifth-worst 3.68 Goals Against Per Game. Also bad is their league-worst .878 Save %. And yet, the Sharks are league-average in Quality Chances Against.

You can draw your own conclusions.

Digging deeper into the micro-stats halfway through the season, you get a better sense both what the Sharks are doing better this season and where they’re still trying to get better.

Slot Shot Attempts Off the Rush

Last year, the San Jose Sharks were 30th in the NHL with 2.57 Goals Per Game. They’ve managed to improve their offense to 3.05 Goals Per Game, good for 21st in the league. This upgrade appears for real: Like I mentioned, they’re 14th in the NHL in Quality Chances For, after being 28th in this category last season.

One area where they’re creating a lot more chances?

Read This Full San Jose Sharks Article at NBC Sports Bay Area