Amazing little fact about success in the National Hockey League: if you actually win games, you move up in the standings very quickly.
The San Jose Sharks are re-learning that lesson right now, even as they make trades and prepare themselves for the future.
With a 3-2 win tonight at HP Pavilion, the Sharks won their fifth straight game, solidified their grip on the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference and distanced themselves even more from the teams chasing them in the playoff standings.
San Jose scored three goals in a 2:13 span right before the midway point of the second period, and then the Sharks held on as the Vancouver Canucks tried to mount a comeback.
Antti Niemi and his friends shut the door in the end, giving San Jose its 12th home win of the season in 17 games at HP. With only one regulation loss at home, the Sharks (18-11-6 overall) have established the best home-ice advantage in the NHL this year.
Andrew Desjardins, Joe Thornton and Logan Couture scored the goals, and Niemi finished with 23 saves on the night.
All this after San Jose traded forward Michael Handzus to the Chicago Blackhawks today for a fourth-round draft pick. Defenseman Douglas Murray was shipped to Pittsburgh last week for two draft picks, and rumors are flying that Sharks forward Ryan Clowe will be the next to get his walking papers before Wednesday's 3 p.m. ET trade deadline.
But with five straight wins, clearly these trades and whispers have not been a negative distraction to a team of veterans who have been so close to winning in the past few years.
If anything, it's sharpened the focus of guys who know they need to win now.
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