SAN JOSE – The Sharks would obviously love to stay in the mix for a playoff spot this season, and after a just-completed 3-1-0 homestand, they enter this week tied — at least in terms of points — for the second and final wild card spot in the Western Conference.
But let’s be honest. Making the playoffs this season, when the Sharks are just starting to come out of a near-total rebuild, would be a little like finding money in the front pocket of an old pair of jeans: Pleasant, but unexpected.
The biggest priority for the Sharks, if they intend to open an extended window to win, is ensuring their young core – particularly their defensemen – continues to improve and develop.
With that in mind, the Sharks’ 3-1 victory over the Boston Bruins on Sunday was more than a little encouraging.
Not only did rookie goalie Yaroslav Askarov make 34 saves, and forwards Macklin Celebrini and Collin Graf each score a goal, but defensemen Shakir Mukhamadullin and Sam Dickinson — also part of the 23-and-under crowd — each had what was arguably their best games of the season.
Mukhamadullin, 23, scored in the first period and had four blocked shots in just over 17 minutes of ice time, and the 19-year-old Dickinson, while playing a modest 13:46, appeared more assertive with two hits and two blocks as he was paired with Vincent Desharnais.
“They were skating, they were engaged, they had purpose to their game,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said of Mukhamadullin and Dickinson. “Their brains were turned on.”
Warsofsky reinserted Dickinson into the lineup against scratching him for Saturday’s game against the Ottawa Senators, a troubling 3-2 Sharks loss in which they were totally out-competed.
Dickinson took the lineup spot of veteran John Klingberg, who has struggled for most of the season. But Warsofsky also could have sat Mukhamadullin, who was also far from his best self in Saturday’s loss, as he allowed a long pass from Jake Sanderson to Drake Batherson get through him, setting up a 2-on-0 that resulted in Ottawa’s winning goal.
Mukhamadullin was scratched earlier this month for games against Florida, Calgary, and Los Angeles, partly because of performance but also because the Sharks (11-9-3) have eight defensemen.
But on Sunday, Warsofsky stuck with him and gave him a chance to bounce back.
“This kid, he tries extremely hard, he cares deeply, he’s very, very coachable,” Warsofsky said of Mukhamadullin before Sunday’s game. “He’s a great kid. He’s fighting it. He’s fighting his confidence. And we’ve got to help him.
“There are ways you can help him, and there are ways that you’ve got to challenge him. There’s a balance to that. … We know (Mukhamadullin’s) a better hockey player. We’re going to be there to help him.”
Asked Sunday night about Mukhamadullin’s wavering confidence, veteran defenseman Dmitry Orlov said his Russian countryman just needs “to trust himself and be in the moment, enjoy the moment, and just be himself. It’s most important not to worry about what’s going on. You have to control what you control, and he’s still learning.
“When I was younger, too, I had some similar situations. Sometimes you’re upset, sometimes you’re angry with yourself when you make a mistake. It always happens. But think he played well and he’s going to get better for this team, for us, and it’s important.”
Orlov is right. The Sharks have defenseman Luca Cagnoni and Mattias Havelid developing with the Barracuda, and also have recent draft picks Haoxi (Simon) Wang, Leo Sahlin Wallenius, and Eric Pohlkamp on the reserve list.
Who knows when they’ll become full-time NHL defensemen, if ever. But Dickinson and Mukhamadullin should be two big pieces for the Sharks long-term, especially with five pending unrestricted free agent defensemen on this year’s roster.
Warsofsky wants Dickinson to play more to his strengths, which are skating, joining the rush, and getting his shot on net.
Warsofsky is bringing Dickinson along slowly and has been careful not to put too much on his plate, and perhaps hurt his confidence. Through 17 games, Dickinson has been given an average of 14:23 in ice time per game.
It would not be a surprise to see the Sharks release Dickinson — and center Michael Misa, assuming he’s healthy — to play for Canada next month at the IIHF World Junior Championship in Minnesota. Taking part in that pressure-packed best-on-best environment for under-20 players would only benefit Misa and Dickinson.
For now, the Sharks want to replicate what they did well Sunday as they face another challenging three-game stretch this week. The Sharks travel to play the league-leading Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday, return home to face the Vancouver Canucks on Friday, and hit the road again Saturday to play the Vegas Golden Knights.
“I think we know what our game looks like. It’s just being stubborn with it, at times,” Warsofsky said after Sunday’s bounce-back win. “I think that’s something that we’re learning.
“We do have some younger guys who are continuing to learn in different situations. We have some guys that continue to work on — whether they’re third-year guys, fifth-year guys, 10-year guys – how we have to play to have success. Sometimes it’s not the prettiest play, the sexiest play, but it’s the right play, and that usually comes down to how hard we are competing.
“When we compete and we’re in puck battles and winning puck battles, we have success from it. The contrast is pretty black and white.”
