Pacific Division

San Jose Sharks Power Rankings - 2011-12

Year:


Power Ranking
WEEKRECORDRANKCOMMENT
Week 28 43-29-10 9 Staring at two massive home-and-home series with Pacific Division rivals Dallas and Los Angeles to end the season, with the possibility of missing the playoffs very much a reality, the Sharks went out and swept all four games. Hello, hockey world; the back-to-back conference finalists are back. And just in time for the playoffs.
Week 27 40-29-10 16 A huge win for the Sharks against Dallas Saturday keeps the postseason dream alive for San Jose. They close with a home-and-home against Los Angeles plus another date with Dallas, so were still not convinced theyre going to find their way into the dance.
Week 26 38-27-10 15 Gigantic wins over Boston and Phoenix keep their playoff hopes alive. Has the turnaround happened?
Week 25 36-25-10 15 The Sharks hope the return of Martin Havlat to the lineup will mean not just a return to the top eight in the Western Conference but a return to the top of the Pacific Division standings. Havlat netted an OT winner for the Sharks in a big home win over Detroit on Saturday, although they still woke up Monday in ninth place.
Week 24 33-25-9 19 Will the real Sharks please stand up? A brilliant effort Thursday night in Dallas (a shootout loss, but they deserved better) followed by a shutout loss at Phoenix. Story for their season: no consistency.
Week 23 33-24-7 20 The Sharks have gone from having comfortable control of the Pacific Division to fighting for their playoff lives thanks to a stretch that has seen them win just four times in 15 games. Wow.
Week 22 32-22-7 12 The Sharks added third-liners T.J. Galiardi and Daniel Winnik -- two players I really like -- but the real impact would come from Martin Havlat when he finally returns. The Sharks had a brutal road trip. Time to salvage their season.
Week 21 31-19-7 12 A long, miserable road trip (1-3-1 so far) continues with four more games this week. The slide has allowed Phoenix to creep into Pacific Division discussion, a title that had appeared to be the Sharks' by default.
Week 20 30-17-6 7 A nine-game road trip began with a loss at St. Louis on Sunday night. A bad trip would open the door for L.A. -- only a point back -- to take over the Pacific Division lead.
Week 19 29-15-6 7 Just when you want to throw the Sharks into the mix as a Cup contender, they wobble, as they did Saturday, losing 5-3 to Dave Tippett's never-say-die Coyotes. Still, the Sharks, who have the seventh-ranked points percentage in the league, control their own destiny vis-à-vis staying atop the Pacific Division and taking a run at a top seed in the conference.
Week 18 27-14-6 10 Tough February for the Sharks: 10 of 14 games on the road.
Week 17 26-14-5 9 The Sharks continue to lead the Pacific Division almost by default and have just one win in their past four games. Inability to beat quality opponents must be a concern.
Week 16 25-12-5 6 Terrific effort in Chicago on Sunday night despite the loss. First regulation loss of 2012 for the Sharks (6-1-1).
Week 15 23-11-4 4 The Sharks are riding a four-game win streak, are 8-1-1 in their past 10 and the offense is starting to click again. Look for the Sharks, who are atop the Pacific Division, to challenge for the top two seeds in the conference once again as we head into the second half of the season.
Week 14 19-11-4 8 Nice test Monday evening with Sharks taking on Canucks in Vancouver.
Week 13 19-10-3 9 The Sharks have won four in a row to re-establish themselves as the top team in the Pacific and have outscored opponents 17-9 during that stretch. But the loss of Martin Havlat is troubling.
Week 12 17-10-3 9 Martin Havlat appears to be coming alive. The Sharks lead the NHL in shots on goal per game, averaging 34.2.
Week 11 15-10-2 12 Something is still not quite right about the stutter-stepping Sharks. A poor penalty-killing unit remains a bugaboo, and they have just two wins in their past eight outings.
Week 10 14-8-1 9 The Sharks have dropped three of four after rolling along. Martin Havlat has one goal in 19 games as a Shark.
Week 9 13-6-1 4 The Sharks have won six of eight and have an interesting tilt in Los Angeles on Monday night after losing a close one at home to Vancouver on Saturday. The Sharks also rank 28th on the penalty kill and must be drinking from the same water fountain as the Chicago Blackhawks.
Week 8 12-5-1 1 The Sharks have the highest percentage of points earned on the season -- 25 points in 19 games, .694 percentage -- as they have gone a sizzling 11-2-1 since opening the season 1-3-0.
Week 7 9-5-1 5 Despite a disappointing turn against Phoenix at home Saturday, the Sharks have won seven of their past 10 contests and remain one of the best teams in the NHL. They'll enjoy a bit of a break; they don't play until Thursday, when they will host red-hot Detroit.
Week 6 7-4-1 3 Inspired comeback win over Pittsburgh last Thursday night.
Week 5 6-3-0 4 The Sharks have won five in a row and are firing on all cylinders. Backup goaltender Thomas Greiss earned the win on Long Island in overtime Saturday, giving red-hot Antti Niemi a rest.
Week 4 3-3-0 10 Road wins over New Jersey and Boston helped steer the ship after a shaky start. Congrats to Joe Thornton on career game No. 1,000 on Friday. Classy move by the Bruins to acknowledge it Saturday night in Boston.
Week 3 1-2-0 21 Not sure how my friend Pierre LeBrun managed to get San Jose into the No. 4 spot last week, but the Sharks have yet to find their footing. No Martin Havlat (shoulder) and no Antti Niemi (recovering from offseason surgery to remove a cyst from his knee) has blunted the Sharks' start.
Week 2 1-0-0 4 Our Stanley Cup pick posted a rout against the Coyotes. Martin Havlat's recovering shoulder is a little concerning for us, however. The Sharks need him to be healthy.
Week 1 0-0-0 5 Brent Burns provides the Sharks with a new offensive tool, and Martin Havlat will fill the Dany Heatley void, giving San Jose the inside track on another Pacific Division crown.

San Jose Sharks