NHL Draft Lottery: Sharks, Blackhawks in crunch time in race to 32nd place
SAN JOSE – It’ll soon get to a point where the San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks will both be assured of a top-four pick in this June’s NHL Draft.
With their 3-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday, the Sharks remained in 32nd and last place in the league’s overall standings with 50 points, trailing the 31st-place Blackhawks by two points.
With seven games remaining, the Sharks almost need to run the table to catch the 30th-place Nashville Predators, who have 62 points after their 5-1 loss to the Dallas Stars on Thursday. The Blackhawks, meanwhile, also have seven games left and would need to be near perfect to catch Nashville.
Newsflash: It’s not going to happen.
If the Sharks finish 32nd, they’ll have a 25.5% chance of winning the NHL Draft Lottery and be assured of a top-three draft pick. If they finish 31st, San Jose will have a 13.5% chance in the lottery and select no lower than fourth overall.
In his latest draft rankings, TSN’s Craig Button had Erie Otters defenseman Matthew Schaefer at No. 1, Saginaw Spirit center Michael Misa at No. 2, Brampton Steelheads winger Porter Martone at No. 3. Sportsnet’s Jason Bukala also had Schaefer and Misa at nos. 1 and 2, but had Swedish center Anton Frondell at No. 3 and Boston College center James Hagens at No. 4. Button had Frondell at No. 4.
The Sharks’ coaches and players are not concerned about draft picks right now. They want to finish what’s left of the season as strongly as possible, letting the scouts and upper management worry about the draft.
Here’s how it looks between the Sharks and Blackhawks. Chicago owns the first tiebreaker, with 18 wins in regulation time to the Sharks’ 14.
31. Chicago Blackhawks (21-44-10, 52 points)
HOME GAMES REMAINING (2): Pittsburgh, Winnipeg
ROAD (5): Washington, Pittsburgh, Boston, Montreal, Ottawa
OUTLOOK: The tank has picked up steam in Chicago, as the Blackhawks have collected just four points in their last 12 games. In eight of those games, Chicago has allowed four goals or more. But keeping the puck out of their net has been Chicago’s issue all year. Since trading defenseman Seth Jones to the Florida Panthers on March 1, Chicago has allowed 3.81 goals per game, fourth-most in the NHL in that time.
The Blackhawks have allowed 3.59 goals per game this season, bettering only the Sharks (3.74).
Chicago’s remaining opponents have a points percentage of .560, which, per tankathon.com, marks the 12th-toughest schedule in the NHL. The Blackhawks’ best hopes for a win appear to be their games against the Penguins on Friday and Tuesday. They could also earn a point or two in Boston on April 10, but that’s no guarantee. Chicago has a 7-24-5 road record this season.
Predicted record in remaining games: 1-5-1.
Predicted final record: 22-49-11, 55 points
32. San Jose Sharks (20-45-10, 50 points)
HOME GAMES REMAINING (3): Seattle, Calgary, Edmonton.
ROAD (4): Minnesota, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver
OUTLOOK: After beating Boston and Toronto to close the gap with the Blackhawks, the Sharks have lost their last four games by a combined score of 20-7. San Jose dressed seven rookies in its 8-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday, and eight more on Thursday, and the kids might have to continue to take their lumps. The Sharks gave up an average of 4.00 goals per game in March, and since trading Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci on Feb. 1, are 5-12-4.
The points percentage of San Jose’s remaining opponents before Friday’s games was .564, slightly higher than Chicago’s. The Sharks have one back-to-back situation left, when they go from Calgary to Vancouver near the end of the regular season.
The Sharks have a winnable game on Saturday against the Kraken. All other opponents are either alive for a playoff spot or a better seed in the postseason.
Predicted record in remaining games: 2-5-0
Predicted final record: 22-50-10, 54 points