San Jose Sharks: 5 Keys to Success on the East Coast Road Trip

The San Jose Sharks begin their six-game East Coast road trip on Friday with a contest against the New Jersey Devils.

San Jose will not play another game in the Tank in October. Their next home game is November 3^rd against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

On the road trip the Sharks will face: New Jersey, Boston, Nashville, Detroit and both New York teams.

For a team that is 1-3, last in the Pacific, this road trip is a great opportunity to get back on top of the division…or will leave them in a deep hole early in the season.

The following are five things the Sharks must do to succeed on the road.

Tom Schreier is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He covers baseball and hockey. All quotes were obtained first-hand.

5. The Team Needs to Adjust to the Time Change

By going east for their road trip, the team will be playing at 4:00 p.m. body time. For a veteran like Patrick Marleau or Douglas Murray, this may be no big deal.

For a player like Colin White who has played on the East Coast all his life, however, the difference between playing at 10:00 pm or 4:00 p.m. body time is a major adjustment.

“We don’t travel as much out east,” says White, who spent 11 years with the Devils before joining San Jose this season, “but we do make a trip out west once a year so I’m sure it’ll be something similar to that.”

For White, like most players, their focus is on the game and not the travel.

“It’s just like any other year,” said White, “you just try to get prepared for each and every game.”

4. Antti Niemi Needs to Play Like the No. 1 Goalie

The No. 1 spot is Niemi’s to lose, but he needs to be on top of his game in order for the Sharks to succeed on the road.

Until the team around him is more careful with the puck, mistakes will be made and Thomas Greiss, who had only played 19 games coming into this season, often couldn’t cover their mishaps.

One game is too small of a sample size to judge Niemi on. His performance on this road trip will indicate if he’s returned to form.

3. Get a Better Start

Scoring first quiets the home crowd and puts the team in the front seat.

“You have to be sharp throughout the game,” McLellan said of the recent missed scoring chances. “You can’t just count on it in that last moment.”

Slow starts result in losses.

2. Simplify the Game: Work North/South Rather than East/West

Working north/south will reduce the amount of mistakes made by players trying to get too fancy—costly mistakes that have ended up in the back of the Sharks’ net.

“It’s a mindset in my opinion,” said McLellan. “We know we can do it, but we choose to be the globetrotters.”

San Jose has to be prepared to dump pucks in and grind it out if they are going to win away from California.

1. The Forwards Need to Score

Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton and Logan Couture have yet to register a goal this season.

Combined, Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic have scored three (yes, I know the Vlasic one was fluky).

The men up front need to find the back of the net.

Follow Tom Schreier on Twitter @tschreier3.