Lessons From The First Round

While the San Jose Sharks are several seasons away from competing for a playoff spot, Mike Grier and company can learn lessons as they look to build the next great Sharks team.

Special Teams

Your special teams need to be difference-makers. The Sharks have generally had a good penalty kill until this season, but the power play is different. With most of these games being so tightly contested, taking advantage of any power play opportunities and killing off the other team's power plays is usually the difference.

While having better players on the team will help the Sharks' power play (and penalty kill), the systems are nowhere near the level they need to be to compete with some of the top teams. Teams like the Avalanche operate their power play in a galaxy different from that of the Sharks.

Yes, this is a small sample size of anywhere from 4-7 games, but that is what the playoffs are. A series of small sample sizes.

A Goalie Who Can Be A Difference Maker When Called Upon

The 2023-24 San Jose Sharks did have something positive for them this season: goaltending.

Things get harder in the playoffs. Every goal feels like it is scratched, clawed, and earned. In the Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights series, the Stars outproduced the Golden Knights in expected goals of 24.63 to 17.52 in all situations during the series. They each ended up with 16 goals. Both Logan Thompson and Adin Hill propped up a Vegas team struggling to score goals as the series dragged on.

Mackenzie Blackwood did return to form this season, but can he be a difference maker in a seven game series? That is question that still needs to be answered.

Clutch Star Players

There is going to be a lot of digital ink spilled this offseason about the future of the Toronto Maple Leafs and their core four after another first round exit. Having star players who can make big plays in big moments is what separates teams this time of year.

Player A: 7 games, 109:39 minutes 5v5, 3 goals, 2 assists, 54.25 CF% 5v5, 42.86GF% 5v5
Player B: 7 games, 99:42 minutes 5v5, 2 goals, 2 assists, 53.33 CF% 5v5, 60 GF% 5v5

Both players had a similar series in terms of production. Player A is a hero who guided his team to the second round in David Pastrňák, Player B is going to be the center of trade talks all summer long in Mitch Marner.

It's hard to find players who have the clutch gene in them, that something special where when the pressure and the tension are at it's highest, they can be difference makers. The Sharks need to continue to find these types of players as they continue their rebuild.