San Jose Sharks: Why it’s time to take this team seriously

The NHL regular season is nearing its end. Before it’s over, everybody in the Bay Area should be watching the San Jose Sharks. Here are the reasons the Sharks should be your top sports priority.

Here in the Bay Area, we are surrounded by great teams who have long histories of championships and Hall of Famers. One team who has not brought a championship to the Bay yet is the San Jose Sharks.

They have been a historic franchise since joining the league in 1991 when George Gund brought a NHL team to the Bay Area. Since then we have seen players like Doug Wilson, Owen Nolan, Mike Ricci, Evgeni Nabokov and all the other famous names thrive here in Sharks Territory. This season, the Sharks are showing that their title drought may soon come to an end.

Team Teal has shown that they can compete during the regular season and make it to the playoffs, as they had a streak of 10 seasons in a row from 2003-2013 where they tasted the postseason. In the 27 seasons they’ve been around, they have made the playoffs 20 times. They have won the Pacific Division six times, the President’s Trophy once, and the conference champions trophy once.

They have been a model franchise not only around the Bay Area, but throughout the sports world. This season, the Sharks have once again shown they are truly one of the best teams in the NHL.

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Through 58 games, the Sharks are the second-best team in the league only behind the Tampa Bay Lightning. They are also the best team in the Western Conference and in the Pacific Division. The Sharks took the lead in the West when they defeated the Vancouver Canucks by a score of 7-2. They finished a four-game Western Canada road trip with an impressive 4-0 record. The road trip began with two huge wins against the Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames. They ended the trip with two wins that seemed predetermined, defeating the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks.

With 23 games to go, the Sharks have asserted themselves as one of the teams that will be competing for a Stanley Cup. Some may argue that they are the team with the best chance to win it all. They have shown that they can win at home and on the road, as they have posted a record of 19-5-4 at home and a record of 16-12-3 on the road.

They have also shown that they can win during regulation and in overtime as three of their last six wins have come in extra time. They are currently on their third win streak of 5+ games this season, and the second of 6+ games.

A big reason for their success is the fact that they haven’t had to rely on one or two players to do all of their scoring.

The Sharks have five different players with 20+ goals this season, making them the only team in the NHL to have that distinction. This is the first time in Sharks history that they have five 20+ goal scorers in only 57 games played. The players to reach the 20-goal mark are Tomas Hertl, Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski, Evander Kane, and Timo Meier. Not only do the Sharks have numerous players with 20+ goals, they also have a goalie who is second in the league in wins. Martin Jones has 27 wins this season and is only two wins behind the league leader, Marc Andre Fleury.

With the regular season winding down, the Sharks are set up for a historic run in the Stanley Cup playoffs. It is up to us, the fanbase, to give the support that is needed to make sure that the long run in the playoffs ends with the Sharks holding up the Stanley Cup in June.

If you are able to attend a game, make sure you do as the atmosphere in SAP Center is like no other. Enjoy the thrilling end of the regular season and the excitement of the Stanley Cup playoffs.