One NHL Star vs the Whole San Jose Sharks: The Unexpected Statistic of the Season
"One NHL Star vs the Whole San Jose Sharks: The Unexpected Statistic of the Season"
As the NHL season gets underway, headlines are popping up in the media. Headlines usually speak positively about a team or player, although there are occasional negative ones about an underachieving player or team. To start this season, the San Jose Sharks had low expectations. Yet not many imagined that the San Jose Sharks were so bad that a star hockey player across North America single-handedly has more goals than the entire team after playing 11 games. Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs has bagged 13 goals in just 11 games for the Leafs, including three hat tricks. Auston Matthews' start to the season has been quite impressive.
Auston Matthews Celebrating one of the 2 goals he scored against the Tampa Bay Lightning on 11/6
In all offensive stats, the Sharks rank below the 50th percentile. They have a shot to goal percentage of 4.3%. The league average is 10%. After 11 games, they have 278 shots on goal. The league average is 347. The Sharks have muscled a measly 12 goals all season, with the league average at 35 goals. Furthermore, the Sharks have been outscored by a goal difference of minus 42 through their first 11. That is the worst goal difference for any team in the history of the NHL through the first 11 games. It does not help that the Sharks have conceded ten goals in back-to-back performances. The expansion team of the Washington Capitals holds the worst goal differential over a season. They accumulated a goal difference of minus 265 in the 1974-75 season. The Sharks are on pace to beat that record easily.
Shark Filip Zadina in front of the Tampa Lightning celebrating one of their 6 goals scored against the Sharks on 10/26
Stacked up against other teams, in the record book for playing some woeful hockey, they match up similarly to the 2017-18 Arizona Coyotes, 2021-2022 Coyotes, 1927-28 Pittsburgh Pirates, 1974-75 Washington Capitals, and finally the worst of them all, the New York Rangers of 1943-44 finishing their season just 6-39-5. Some of these teams went on to win more games than expected after their abysmal start, yet they all sit close to the bottom of the record book for worst starts in an NHL season.
The criticisms of this 2023-24 San Jose Sharks hockey team can be harsh to hear. A team that has been a part of the NHL for over 30 years and has had some fantastic players in their time, including Joe Thorton, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, Brent Burns, and many other greats who have graced their presence in this franchise. It can be hard to hold your head up high as a Sharks fan, knowing some 26-year-old guy from Arizona is currently outscoring your whole team. Many see this as a setback but hope to build with a young, determined hockey team in the coming years. Maple Leaf fans, appreciate and enjoy Auston Matthews while you have him. He is one of the greatest Leafs to put on a jersey, as he is only 26. Sharks fans, keep your heads high; you have much to look forward to. Lows may be low, but the highs are always higher.
Relevant as of: November 6th, 2023
