San Jose Sharks: Martin Jones rising to the occasion
By Andrew Bet
The San Jose Sharks advanced to the Western Conference Finals in large part due to their undisputed starter in net stepping up his game since the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
For the San Jose Sharks, the playoffs are a completely different animal compared to the grind of an 82-game regular season. Throughout the campaign, the Sharks dealt with a fair share of adversity leaving questions about making a deep run in the playoffs.
Martin Jones often became the focus of the Sharks having success in the postseason as he did not deliver consistent efforts between the pipes. Both Jones and backup, Aaron Dell, combined for one of the lowest save percentages in the league during the season.
Injuries to the Sharks’ defensemen at different points of the year impacted the play in the defensive zone. Jones and Dell would undoubtedly want to have a few goals back after routine saves did not occur.
San Jose Sharks
With an opening-round series against Vegas, the defensive play and the goaltending needed to improve or another early exit would loom. All concerns appeared to have eased after the Sharks quickly took care of the Golden Knights in Game 1
But the next three games witnessed the inconsistent Jones getting pulled from net as the Sharks fell behind quickly and could not recover. Goals surrendered in the first five minutes of a period saw the Sharks find themselves in an early deficit and not get the chance to establish a heavy forecheck — a major strength with the size of the San Jose’s forwards.
On the brink of elimination, the Sharks refused to go quietly. Jones did not care about statistics or let bad outings get the best of him. His teammates rallied behind him and knew any mistakes could end the season in failure.
After an emotional seven-game series ending with a miraculous overtime thriller, a burden seemed to have been lifted from Jones, finally flipping the switch into the elite goaltender needed for a team to win a Stanley Cup.
Colorado awaited San Jose, a young team whose speed proved too much for Calgary to handle and were hungry to send another Pacific Division opponent home. The first game saw no signs of a letdown by the Sharks linger, taking the opener.
At times, the Avalanche appeared to be the better side with their forwards breaking into the offensive zone and generating high-quality scoring chances. Both teams were evenly matched as Jones and Philipp Grubauer exchanged highlight reel saves to keep the games tight.
Unlike the Vegas series, Jones completely forgot about the first four games and continued to play stronger after each contest. Ultimately, the Sharks outlasted the Avalanche because Jones did not flinch as his aggressive style of goaltending proved to be the difference maker.
More from Golden Gate Sports
- Raiders: Rookie stock report following Week 3 performance
- 49ers sign new long snapper amidst a flurry of roster moves
- Oakland Athletics win Game 2 of Wild Card round with late-inning drama
- 49ers: George Kittle and Deebo Samuel cleared to return to practice
- 49ers expected to place DE Dee Ford on injured reserve
Sure, the return of Joe Pavelski for Game 7 provided a morale boost for both the Sharks and fans rocking the SAP Center. The captain’s goal to start the scoring only ignited further confidence that the Sharks would come out on top.
In the end, getting the timely saves with a one-goal lead helped to clinch the series.
Just under two minutes remained in the third period and with Colorado reeling, they pulled their goalie to give them the extra attacker. In the final seconds, Jones perhaps came up with his best effort, stopping about three chances by an Avalanche player left wide open in front of the net.
Jones held his ground as he did not want to deal with another overtime to determine the winner. In three playoff game sevens in his career with the Sharks, Jones has won all three contests, turning in his best performances.
Up next is a rematch of the 2016 Conference Final with the St. Louis Blues. Back in January, the Blues were not in the playoff picture and near the bottom of the standings. With a change in goaltenders, the Blues roared back, vaulting up the Central Division standings and grabbing a spot in the playoffs.
San Jose must set the tone early and be playing defense most of the game. Colorado controlled the play throughout the third period in Game 7 after getting an early goal to cut the deficit to one. With the skill that the Blues possess, playing defense the majority of the time will be costly.
Next. San Jose Sharks: Previewing the St. Louis Blues series. dark
As the march towards the Stanley Cup continues for the Sharks, the rise of Jones delivering with his backstopping is boosting the squad. Hopefully, the trend continues as the Sharks have a legitimate shot of going the distance.