Timo Meier has developed into one of the top players in the San Jose Sharks at the age of 26. Meier was also reliable on Friday, when the Sharks lost 4:5 to the Anaheim Ducks after overtime. The attacker contributed two goals and scored in eight of the last ten games. A consistency that the Sharks lack as a team.
The season is not going as hoped for San Jose. The California team sits second to bottom in the Pacific Division and after losing to the Ducks will have more to worry about looking in the rearview mirror than a potential attack on the wildcard spots.
Actually, the game began for the guests according to their taste. Matt Nieto already made it 1-0 after 38 seconds (1st). Steven Lorentz increased to 2-0 after a little over six minutes (7th). However, the Ducks were able to equalize before the break. The connection of Trevor Zegras fell just 35 seconds after the 2-0.
As a result, Meier took the lead twice Mason McTavish equalized twice. David Quinn gave special praise to Meier’s line-up after the game: “The line-up was very good. They put pressure on all evening and created chances for us on offense. That’s what we need from them. They did their job on the scorecards.”
It was in overtime John Klingbergwho brought about the decision after a little more than a minute and made the Meier double pack almost worthless.
It was the third time that there was no winner after 60 minutes in the California duel between Anaheim and San Jose. All of those encounters then went to the Ducks after overtime or shootout. Even beyond the season, extra playing time is common when San Jose and Anaheim meet. In five of the past six games, three thirds were not enough for the opponents to determine a winner.
For Meier it was the fourth match with two or more goals in the current season. The Swiss is not one of those players who, when they score, net several times. Rather, it stands for constant scoring that the coach and colleagues can rely on in every match.
In the current season, the striker, who was born in Herisau, did not have a point of his own 13 times. It is noteworthy that seven of these pointless matches stem from the first nine encounters of the season. In the early stages, he was only able to score against the Nashville Predators at the start of the season and against the New York Rangers on October 20.
Meier had to wait until October 27 for his first goal of the season when he netted against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The late first goal of the season seemed to have been a real knot breaker for Meier. As a result, he scored in seven consecutive games, accumulating twelve points (7 goals, 5 assists). It was the beginning of a success story, at least personally.
Meier continued to shine with consistency. Like a Swiss clockwork, all Sharks could rely on points from him. After the initial lull, Meier only remained six times in 30 matches without a goal or template. It is particularly noteworthy that none of the pointless games was followed by a second without scoring for the right winger.
Meier now has 40 points after 40 games. He scored 23 times himself and scored 17 more goals. His number of goals is enough for shared ninth place among the top scorers. With that he is even available Leon Draisaitlwho netted 22 times.
If Meier continues to score points with speed, he would have 47 goals and 35 assists by the end of the season. He has not yet scored more points and goals in his NHL career. Developments over the past two years clearly show that Meier has established himself as one of the top players in the NHL. He leads a struggling Sharks team in attack as the top scorer. Only Erik Karlsson could appear more often on the match report.
The defender is in the best shape since moving to San Jose with 13 goals and 41 assists. He’s in the league Nikita Kucherov the second best assist giver. Only Connor McDavid added one more hit (42).
Especially in the last 14 matches Karlsson knew how to convince. He set a new franchise record with two goals and 19 assists and points in each game. At the same time, he is only the seventh defenseman to celebrate such a long scoring streak in the NHL in the past 30 years.
He scored a goal in each of the games, making him the fifth Blueliner in league history to achieve such a series of assists. He finds himself in the company of prominent names such as Paul Coffey, Brian Leetch, Phil Housley and Bobby Orr.
None of the personal successes, be it Meier’s or Karlsson’s, are currently not helping the Sharks to find their own consistency. A 3-4-3 record from the past ten games is the weakest result for the division teams in this period. The hoped-for upswing towards a playoff chance does not materialize and another year without Sharks in the final round hardly seems to be averted.
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