The San Jose Sharks are unlikely to make the playoffs in the 2022-23 NHL season. This would extend their drought as they haven’t reached the playoffs in the last three seasons, and haven’t finished better than sixth place in their division since 2016.
The Sharks haven’t been able to manifest a turnaround in their level of play, and this poor run of form looks set to continue this year, and fans of betting on the NHL would be wise to wager against the Sharks.
The Sharks haven’t been able to play cohesively so far this year, but that’s not to say they aren’t a team with some talent. Erik Karlsson leads the way in points and assists, while Logan Couture has been able to find the back of the net.
Other players to look out for include Tomas Hertl and Alexander Barbanov to provide assists for the Sharks, with Timo Meier also contributing goals for the team.
The Sharks failed to clinch a postseason berth despite winning 32 games in 2021-22. Still, that’s an improvement from their 21 wins in 2020-21 and 29 in 2019-20.
However, those numbers are a far cry from their impressive run from 1997 to 2019. During that time, the Sharks missed the playoffs only twice and reached the Stanley Cup Finals once. However, they lost that series to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.
The tream finished dead last in the Pacific Division in 2020, after an impressive second place finish in 2019. They’ve made some improvement since then, finishing sixth in each of the last two years, however it hasn’t been enough to make a difference towards a playoff spot.
The NHL regained its presence in the San Francisco Bay Area when the Sharks started competing in 1991. Their inception filled a void the California Golden Seals opened when they transferred to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1976. They have had modest success throughout history, missing the playoffs nine times. Aside from their one conference championship, they also have six division titles and a Presidents’ Trophy. The San Jose Barracuda and the Wichita Thunder are their minor league affiliates.
The Sharks play their home games at SAP Center at San Jose, formerly known as San Jose Arena, and HP Pavilion at San Jose. It’s also known as “The Shark Tank” because the Sharks are the primary tenants. The venue opened in 1993 and can accommodate up to 17,562 hockey spectators. Fans in the Bay Area flock to Sharks games.
The Sharks are rivals with other California-based NHL teams. At the end of the 2020-21 NHL season, the Sharks lead the all-time series against the Anaheim Ducks, 84-62-4-11. They’ve met in the playoffs twice, splitting the results.
The Sharks also have an ongoing rivalry with the Los Angeles Kings. It started when Wayne Gretzky suited up for the Kings. However, the feud picked up in the 2010s when both teams fought each other in multiple playoff series.
They also have a budding feud with the Vegas Golden Knights since the team joined the NHL in 2017. The Golden Knights lead the all-time series against the Sharks, 25-7-0-4, and have the upper hand in the playoff matchups, 7-6.
Finally, the Sharks also consider the Detroit Red Wings as their rivals. It started during the 1994 Stanley Cup playoffs, wherein the Sharks won against the Red Wings in seven games. However, the rivalry started to fade out somewhat in 2013 when Detroit was reassigned to the Eastern Conference.
