Inside The Cage: Five Things About Eight Games

The Sharks sat in second place in the Pacific Division with a 36-23-9 record good for 81 points on March 11. While they trailed first-place Vegas by 12 points, the bigger concern was how tightly packed they were with three other division rivals.
San Jose's hold on a playoff spot was precarious at best as it led Anaheim by one point, Los Angeles by two and Calgary by three. The Sharks had the same number of games remaining as the Kings, one more left than Anaheim and two more than Calgary.
A 13th trip in 14 seasons to the Stanley Cup playoffs was anything but assured.
Then the Sharks went out and won eight in a row, and everything changed.
What did San Jose learn about itself during the run from March 12-March 26? Let us count the ways.

ONE: Explosive Offense

The Sharks scored four or more goals in all but one of their eight victories. With 38 goals in all, San Jose averaged just under five per outings. And this from the same team that endured early-season struggles to find the back of the net, and that was with a healthy Joe Thornton in the lineup.
The Sharks matched their season-high of seven goals with a 7-4 win over Calgary on March 16 - the third win of the streak. And it was a pivotal victory because it created seven points of separation over the Flames, who with a regulation win could have otherwise crept to within three points of San Jose.
Several factors contributed to the increase in goal-scoring. Obviously newcomer Evander Kane provided a huge spark - and more on him next - but the patience for depth scoring was rewarded. In addition to Tomas Hertl, Chris Tierney, Timo Meier, Kevin Labanc and Joonas Donskoi surpassing last year's individual goal totals, San Jose has found chemistry on a fourth line centered by deadline addition Eric Fehr. Jannik Hansen experienced a rebirth during the streak on the line, and Barclay Goodrow has contributed as well.
Coincidentally all three score a goal during San Jose's 6-2 beat down of the Devils on March 20, the fifth win of the streak. Kane said he couldn't remember playing a game in which all three members of a fourth line found the back of the net in the same game.

TWO: Kane Effect

Evander Kane collected seven of the nine goals he's scored since acquired from Buffalo at the Feb. 26 trade deadline during the win streak. He's been an absolute beast on the ice since becoming a Shark with 14 points in 14 games
In addition to the streak, San Jose has gone 11-2-1 since Kane's addition to the lineup. The Sharks are tied for the second-most points, and tied for the most wins in the league during that span. In addition, San Jose's 55 goals pace the NHL over that span while the Sharks have allowed the sixth-fewest amount of shots (403).
But beyond all the numbers, Kane has fit seamlessly into the locker room, has proven to be a magnetic personality and plays with an edge on the ice that few can provide. Big, strong, fast and skilled, Kane is showing what he can bring to a team, and he's only 26 years old.

THREE: Unflappable Jones

He played entirely during seven of the eight wins - surrendering the net only on March 17 for Aaron Dell's 5-3 win over Vancouver - and didn't put up eye-popping numbers - 2.38 goals-against average and .919 save percentage - but he made key saves at big moments while continuing to give off his aura of being in control.
This is a vastly different goaltender in the post All-Star Game portion of the schedule. Clearly Jones is back to full health, which wasn't entirely the case for a period of time around the holidays. The Sharks very much feed off of Jones' calming demeanor as he literally has had their back.

FOUR: Killin' It Short-Handed

San Jose has been outstanding for most of the year when asked to kill penalties, and it was no different during the winning streak.
San Jose didn't allow a power-play goal to the opposition in seven of the eight games - going a combined 17-for-17. The other fact that jumps out with a stat like that is how few times they put the opponent on the power play - just an average of 2.4 times per contest.
Beyond the winning streak, the Sharks have not allowed a power-play goal against in 14 of their last 16 contests, killing off 29 of the last 33 power plays. San Jose has only allowed eight power-play goals against in its last 29 games, and ranks second in the NHL for penalty-kill percentage at 84.4%.

FIVE: Heightened Expectations

By winning eight in a row at the time they did, the Sharks are expected to clinch a playoff berth in the next few days and they'll have more than a week to plan accordingly.
The chances of opening at home appear in the cards as well, likely against either Anaheim or Los Angeles. But making a last-ditch run at suddenly wavering Vegas is not out of the question either, which could result in gaining the No. 2 seed as the Pacific Division winner in the West.
No one wants to get ahead of things here, and certainly the Sharks hope to welcome several key cogs back to full health including Thornton, Donskoi, Fehr and Goodrow. But if the team learned anything throughout their recent eight-game run, it's that again they are a sum of their parts and can overcome adversity. The leadership group remains very strong, the coaching prepares the group and San Jose never gives up.
Add this all together, and it could be a very interesting spring time in the South Bay.
!March to the Playoffs Infographic