Editor’s note: Sheng Peng is a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
The San Jose Sharks believe.
“We can beat any team in this league,” Vincent Desharnais told San Jose Hockey Now on Thursday. “We know who we are, we’re not the old Sharks anymore.”
The Sharks showed the Winnipeg Jets, in a 2-1 win, who they are on Friday.
Tied 1-1 after a sloppy first period, bailed out by a number of Alex Nedeljkovic Grade-A saves, San Jose took it to the incumbent Presidents’ Trophy winners from the second period on.
Per Natural Stat Trick, the Sharks owned a 42-24 Shot Attempts and 25-6 Scoring Chances edge at 5-on-5 in the last 40 minutes.
The name of the game? Speed.
“We want to be a team that gets on [other teams] with our speed, our forecheck,” San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “We were rolling four lines. So that’s exactly what it should look like.”
For the first time in years, it was the Sharks pressuring teams into mistakes, making the opposition nervous.
Here’s Alex Wennberg (21) getting into Connor Hellebuyck’s kitchen, then Collin Graf (51) flying in.
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