NASHVILLE – It’s a luxury not often provided to NHL coaches.
For the past 23 straight games, the Sharks have dressed the same assemblage of defensemen with Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Justin Braun, Brent Burns, Paul Martin, Brenden Dillon and Dylan DeMelo skating on a nightly basis. That group, along with solid goaltending, has held the opposition to 2.08 goals-per game during the Sharks’ current 9-1-2 stretch in their last 12.
“Knock on wood, it’s been really fortunate,” Pete DeBoer said on Saturday after the Sharks’ morning skate at Bridgestone Arena. “That, for me, is the backbone of our team.