NHL Sharks' early identity through first 20 games of 2022-23 NHL season
Sharks' early identity through first 20 games of the season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Editor's Note: Sheng Peng will be 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.
Who are the San Jose Sharks?
At the 20-game mark, you can go a lot of different ways with that.
On one hand, they’re 6-11-3, a dismal start by any measure. They’re 25th in the NHL with 2.80 Goals Per Game. They’re 22nd with 3.40 Goals Against Per Game.
At .375, they have the second-worst Points % in the league.
“Our record is what it is,” head coach David Quinn said before their 2-1 loss to the New York Rangers. “It’s just not good enough.”
By this standard, despite some obvious bright spots, like Erik Karlsson’s scoring exploits and the best penalty kill in the NHL, this is a bad hockey team.
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Quinn – and granted, it’s his job as head coach to believe and instill belief – thinks the Sharks are better than this though.
Maybe you blame San Jose’s 0-5-0 start to the year largely on playing overseas?
