10 Biggest Surprises of the San Jose Sharks' Season so Far

With a record of 14-8-1 after 23 games into the 2011-12 NHL season, the San Jose Sharks sit at ninth place in the hotly contested Western Conference. They're just two points back from the fifth place Vancouver Canucks.

San Jose has been a terrific road team early this season and have yet to be bested in the shootout. They also boast the third best goal differential in the conference at plus-11. 

Even more impressive is that, with only 56 goals against, the Sharks are tied with the Detroit Red Wings for least goals allowed in the West.

On the negative side, their penalty kill is among the worst in the league and they aren't generating enough offense from the back end. 

This season is already chock-full of surprises for San Jose, both good and bad. Let's take a look at some of the most noticeable ones. 

Marc-Edouard Vlasic Providing Offense

As previously mentioned, the San Jose Sharks haven't received a whole lot of scoring from their defensemen. However, there's one rearguard who has stepped it up considerably in that category.

That man is none other than 24-year-old defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who registered a career-high 36 points in 2008-09 and has since been unable to reach the 20-point mark.

So far this year, Vlasic has 12 points, including two goals. While these numbers aren't amazing, they're far better than most Sharks fans could ever have hoped for this early in the season.

To put it in perspective, Vlasic managed just 18 points in 80 games last year. He would need just six points between now and the end of the season to match that point total.

There's no guarantee that he can keep up this pace, but with an average just over half a point per game, Vlasic has been a very pleasant surprise early this season.  

Colin White Has Been Scratched 8 Times Already

Signed as a free agent late this summer after being bought out by the New Jersey Devils, Colin White was brought into the fold to provide a steady veteran presence on the third defensive pairing for the San Jose Sharks. 

Instead, he has looked out of place and indecisive during the 15 games he has suited up for this season. His lackluster play has resulted in him being scratched from the roster on eight occasions, where he has been replaced by rugged defenseman Jim Vandermeer.

Nobody was expecting White to be dressed for every single one of San Jose's 82 games this year, but we were all expecting him to play much more than he has so far. He has missed almost a third of the Sharks' games this season and that isn't likely to change if he doesn't pick up his play. 

Thomas Greiss Has Been Solid

Thomas Greiss was loaned to Europe last season following the signings of netminders Antti Niemi and Antero Niittymaki. He struggled to meet expectations overseas and his time with the San Jose Sharks had seemingly come to an end. 

This offseason, however, Greiss re-signed with San Jose and, due to an injury to Niittymaki, has suited up as the team's backup netminder this season. 

In eight starts, Greiss has four wins and four losses, a .918 save percentage and a 2.37 goals-against average. These numbers are very solid for a backup and are particularly impressive considering his lack of experience at the NHL level. 

Greiss' strong play has led many to believe that Niittymaki may be dealt once he is healthy again, which would make Greiss San Jose's No. 2 for the remainder of the season. That's purely speculation at this point, but there's no denying that the young German has been terrific so far. 

Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton Have Serious Chemistry

Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton are two of the San Jose Sharks' best players and most consistent scorers. They are an integral part of the club's offense, power play and penalty kill. 

The sheer amount of talent both forwards possess makes their high point totals easy to comprehend. It's just surprising that two players who play the game in such a similar way would work well on the same line together.

If that doesn't make sense, allow me to elaborate. In hockey, it's very common to see a line consisting of three players who excel in different areas, thus complementing each other nicely. San Jose's second line of Ryane Clowe, Logan Couture and Martin Havlat is a prime example of this. 

Putting players who are too similar on the same line tends to be problematic. While Pavelski is more of a goal scorer and Thornton is without a doubt a pass-first player, the two of them both slow down the game and use their vision and puck control to wreak havoc in the offensive zone, rather than relying on speed, physicality or finesse.

For this reason, it's interesting to see Little Joe and Big Joe working so well together. For us Sharks fans, it's an extremely pleasant surprise. 

Brent Burns Has Struggled to Score

Fans from throughout the hockey world were expecting big things from Brent Burns after he was dealt to the San Jose Sharks this summer. 

The 6'5" rearguard potted 17 goals on a mediocre Minnesota Wild squad last season and appeared poised to build on that production on a much stronger San Jose team. He's netted just four goals this season, however. 

Burns has performed well in other areas, with a plus/minus rating of plus-seven and only two penalty minutes, as well as a whopping 58 shots on goal.

Perhaps his lack of offensive production can be attributed to him still trying to become acclimated to a new system. Still, we were all expecting more and his offensive woes are becoming an area of concern.  

Jamie McGinn Breaking Out

Jamie McGinn has scored in back-to-back games and now has four goals on the season after an extremely slow start. He has been suiting up on the third line with Torrey Mitchell and veteran Michal Handzus, where he has performed admirably in a physical, grinding role. 

McGinn was drafted 36th overall in 2006 as a potential second-line power forward. He hasn't displayed high-end scoring ability at the NHL level yet, but he's just 23 years old and is starting to regain some of the confidence he lost after being sent down to the minors last season.

Maybe he won't reach his full potential, but McGinn looks more than capable of playing an energy role on the third line. He can skate well, play physical and shoot the puck. He's also a very underrated fighter who's always willing to stand up for his teammates.

A lot of Sharks fans didn't think McGinn would be able to secure a roster spot this season. He now looks like a key fixture on San Jose's third line.  

Terrible Penalty Kill

The additions of Michal Handzus, Colin White and Brent Burns were meant to improve the San Jose Sharks' penalty kill. Instead, the Sharks have the NHL's worst penalty-killing percentage at 75 percent.

A key reason as to why this doesn't make much sense is because they didn't lose any top penalty killers from last season, outside of pivot Scott Nichol. On paper, their penalty kill units actually look much better than they did last year.

Perhaps the Sharks need to try out some new shorthanded line combinations or pursue a more aggressive approach. I'm not sure what the problem is. The only thing that's absolutely clear is that it needs to be fixed.  

Fourth Line Has Remained Intact

One of the biggest question marks for the San Jose Sharks entering the season was whether or not their fourth line of Brad Winchester, Andrew Desjardins and Andrew Murray would be kept together for the duration of the season.

Aside from one game in which young winger Benn Ferriero filled in for Desjardins, the answer has been yes. The fourth line has remained untouched for 22 of the team's 23 games this season, and Winchester and Murray have yet to miss a game.

What initially seemed like a makeshift fourth line that would be mix-and-matched until a more permanent solution was found now seems to be the fourth line the Sharks are going to roll with this year. They haven't been half bad, either.  

Jason Demers Has Regressed

After scoring 21 points in 51 games as a rookie two seasons ago, Jason Demers was heralded by many as a future top-four defenseman and high-end power play quarterback.

He managed just 24 points in 75 games last year, however, and he's off to a rough start this season. The 23-year-old rearguard has been scratched 10 times in favor of up-and-comer Justin Braun and has tallied a mere five points in the 13 games he has suited up for.

Demers is young and has shown early signs of promise. He has plenty of time to turn it around, but his play so far this year has been surprisingly disappointing.  

Joe Pavelski Is a Sniper

Joe Pavelski broke into the league as a reliable two-way forward with high hockey IQ, responsible defensive play and solid playmaking skills. Five years later, he has quickly emerged as a top-flight scorer.

Pavelski netted 20 goals and added 46 helpers for a career-high 66 points last season, establishing himself as a legitimate top-six scoring threat in the process. This year, he's playing on the San Jose Sharks' top line with Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton and has potted 11 goals in just 23 games thus far.

If Pavelski can keep up this pace, he will fall just short of the 40-goal mark. Even if he doesn't continue to score at such a high rate, he looks like a lock for at least 35. There weren't a lot of people expecting the kind of goal production from him this season. 

Sam Kelly is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @samkelly10.