San Jose Sharks: Why They Won't Make the Playoffs

For the first time in as long as anyone can remember, the San Jose Sharks are in danger of not making the postseason. With nine games to go, they currently sit at 82 points, good for tenth place in the Western Conference. 

The Sharks are definitely in unfamiliar territory, as they have made the playoffs for nine straight seasons (since 2003). Making the playoffs has simply been a formality in San Jose, but not this year.

So, why will this be the year that they miss out on the annual NHL playoff frenzy?

Inconsistency

After two promising wins against the Nashville Predators and Detroit Red Wings (two playoff teams), the Sharks have promptly lost two in a row against the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings. The loss against the Kings really hurt, as L.A. moved past San Jose and into the eighth and final playoff spot. 

The thing with the Sharks is, you never know what you're going to get. They can look like Stanley Cup contenders, but they can also look like the Columbus Blue Jackets. 

The Sharks have also not beaten the teams that they are "supposed" to beat. Here's CSNBayArea insider Ray Ratto:

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Of their eight wins since Feb. 1, six have come against playoff teams, and the goal differential in those wins (over Dallas, Chicago, Washington, Philadelphia, Nashville and Detroit) is 21-11.

But of their 17 losses over that time, nine have come against non-playoff teams, and by that we mean teams that have no or almost no hope of making it. And the goal differential in those games (under Calgary, Tampa Bay, Carolina, Columbus, Minnesota, Buffalo, Edmonton, Calgary again and Anaheim) is 23-35.

Combined, they are 6-8 against good teams, which isn’t great. But they are 2-9 against bad ones.

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Clearly, the Sharks have the ability and the talent to beat the top teams in the NHL. But in some games, they simply make mental errors that cost their team, which is unacceptable at this level.

Goaltending (or lack thereof)

The Sharks have allowed five goals in each of the last two games. Antti Niemi and Thomas Greiss have not looked great, and that has not helped the team out at all. Niemi allowed several "easy" goals against the L.A. Kings, goals which he should have stopped. Specifically, when Dan Boyle scored to cut the L.A. lead to 3-2 in the third period, Niemi allowed a very "soft" shot by Dustin Penner, putting the Kings up 4-2, sealing the game.

Goaltending is the most important part of the game, and it makes it a lot harder to win without it. 

Other teams are getting hot

The Sharks are in 10th place in the Western Conference. Phoenix, Los Angeles and Colorado are in the ninth, eighth, and seventh spots, respectively. In their last 10 games, San Jose is 3-4-3. Phoenix has the exact same record. Meanwhile, L.A. and Colorado are 8-2-1 and 7-2-1 in their last 10, respectively. 

It just seems like these teams are getting hot at the wrong time. Common sense says that it is awfully hard to catch a team in the standings if they keep winning.

Lack of production from newly acquired players

At this year's trade deadline, San Jose acquired forwards Dominic Moore from the Lightning (for a second round draft pick), and T.J. Galiardi and Daniel Winnik from the Avalanche (for Jamie McGinn and two prospects). 

What's amazing is that these three players have done virtually nothing at all. Moore has three assists in fourteen games, Galiardi has no points and Winnik has one assist. Do the math, and the Sharks have only received four points from these three players that they traded for.

To add insult to injury. Jamie McGinn has seven goals and three assists in just eleven games with the Avalanche. 

Tough road ahead

The Sharks have just nine games remaining in the regular season. Eight of those games will be against teams with higher point totals (the other one is against Anaheim, who they just lost to on Sunday). If they hope to reach the postseason, they will have to treat every game as a must-win game, and hope that other teams help them out in the standings. If not, the Sharks will have a lot more time to spend on the golf course.