Is there hope in the numbers for the struggling San Jose Sharks?
On one hand, San Jose is the worst 5-on-5 team in the NHL — their -18 goal differential is last (by far). On the other hand, they’re the best special teams unit in the NHL — their combined 114.82 power play and penalty kill percentage leads the league.
On the surface, that doesn’t make sense. In theory, good overall special teams should mean you have good two-way players, which should lead to good 5-on-5 results.
Looking over recent NHL history, this theory holds, for the most part.