Are the Sharks for real? Three reasons why this season might be different

The San Jose Sharks feel like, with the way they’re playing, they can compete with any team in the National Hockey League right now.

It’s been a while since the Sharks have been able to make such a claim — at least with any conviction.

But the proof’s been on display during the last week. With recent wins over the Atlantic Division-leading New Jersey Devils, Central Division-leading Colorado Avalanche, and, on Wednesday, the Seattle Kraken, who were atop the Pacific Division at the start of this week, the Sharks have a right to feel good about themselves, at least for a little while.

With their 6-1 win over the Kraken, the Sharks enter Friday’s home game against the Winnipeg Jets — last season’s Presidents’ Trophy winners — with a 5-2-1 record in their previous eight games after a dismal 0-4-2 start. They then host the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Saturday in back-to-back measuring stick games.

“I think the league doesn’t really know what we’re capable of doing, and we don’t get quite as much as respect as we should,” said Sharks forward Adam Gaudette. “I think this is a good opportunity for us to prove that we are a good hockey team and we can compete with these top teams by doing the right things and staying levelheaded and consistent.”

Three reasons the Sharks might be for real:

CELEBRINI’S HISTORIC START

Macklin Celebrini is playing as well as anyone in the NHL right now.

With his three-point effort against the Kraken, the 19-year-old Celebrini entered Thursday tied for the league lead in points (21) with the Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid.

This marked the first time in NHL history that a teenager was the league’s scoring leader (tied or outright) at this stage of a season (217 games played league-wide). Celebrini is also the 11th player since the start of the 1993-94 season to have 84 points in their first 84 games. He also has a league-leading 15 points in six road games.

Celebrini has four three-point games this season, and the Sharks have a 5-4-1 record when he has at least one point. Of the Sharks’ 20 wins last season, 13 came when he had at least one point.

“I know he’s got the points, but the way he plays a 200-foot game at a young age, and the way he impacts the game in so many different ways, is the most impressive thing,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “I think that’s what’s so special about him.”

Celebrini is also elevating the play of those around him, as Will Smith and Tyler Toffoli have played their best hockey with the Sharks when they’ve been on the same line as the North Vancouver native.

“He drives the bus for us, for sure,” Gaudette said of Celebrini. “As a young guy, it’s impressive to be doing that. And it’s not just the points, it’s the way he plays the game and how hard he plays the game. When you get everyone doing that and on the same page, it’s a recipe for success, and it’s hard to stop.”

With all that in mind, it’s not a question of whether Celebrini will be on Canada’s Olympic team in February. It’s what number he’ll wear, what line he’ll be on, and who his linemates will be for Canada’s first game in Milano-Cortina.

Friday, Celebrini and the Sharks will play a Jets team led by center Mark Scheifele, who, entering Thursday, was tied for third in the NHL in scoring with 20 points. He, like Celebrini, was left off Canada’s roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off and is as motivated as anyone to be on that team going to Italy.

IMPROVED DEFENSE, GOALTENDING

At the start of this week, Alex Nedeljkovic and Yaroslav Askarov combined for a .940 save percentage in the last three games. Now that save percentage is up to .946 after the previous four games following Askarov’s 28-save performance against the Kraken, which included 13 saves on the Sharks’ six penalty kills.

The Sharks have now allowed two goals or fewer during regulation time and overtime in four straight games. The last time that happened was between Nov. 28 and Dec. 3, 2021.

Whether those numbers for the Sharks’ goalies are sustainable is unclear. But the Sharks have allowed nine or fewer high-danger scoring chances in seven of their last nine games. In the first five games of the season, they allowed close to 12 high-danger chances per game.

“When we execute coming out of our own end, you’re obviously not playing in your own end,” Warsofsky said. “When you don’t execute coming out of your own end, you’re playing in your own end a lot. What would happen earlier in the season, and more so last year, is our puck play would fail. We would have another chance to execute a puck play, and that would fail, and then we really hemmed in our own end.

“We’ve done a better job of not letting one failure become two, and we’ve got more numbers around pucks in our defensive zone.”

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BETTER CONNECTIVITY

The Sharks are playing a more cohesive brand of hockey right now, and are also starting to become a tight-knit team off the ice.

The Sharks’ road trip through the New York area and Minnesota last month undoubtedly brought the team, full of new faces, closer together.

“When you add 10 new players, it takes time, it really does, for chemistry on the ice or off the ice, to get to know each other, playing with new linemates,” Warsofsky said. “We’re definitely seeing a more connected group, off the ice, and especially on the ice.

“We made some adjustments to our breakout structure, and that took some time. We’re starting to get the hang of that a little bit more. There are still areas in the neutral zone where we can be a little bit better. But … there’s definitely been a big jump in (connectivity), for sure.”

INJURY UPDATES

The Sharks placed rookie center Michael Misa on injured reserve Thursday, one day after he sustained a lower-body injury during the team’s morning skate in Seattle. Misa, who has three points in seven NHL games, will not be eligible to play against either Winnipeg or Florida. The Sharks recalled Zack Ostapchuk from the Barracuda to take Misa’s roster spot. Ostapchuk had three points in nine games with the Barracuda this season. … William Eklund, who remains on the Sharks’ active roster, skated Thursday morning, but Warsofsky didn’t know if the 23-year-old would be able to play against the Jets after he had to sit out Wednesday’s game in Seattle. … Both forward Ryan Reaves (lower body) and defenseman Nick Leddy (upper body) skated Thursday morning. They remained on IR as of Friday.