SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks have gained some ground on the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL standings in recent days but are still on the verge of finishing last overall and clinching a 25.5 percent chance of winning the upcoming NHL Draft Lottery.
On the other hand, this month hasn’t brought much good news to the Sharks (19-51-9) in terms of their two conditional draft picks, with Sidney Crosby making sure that at least one is diminishing in value.
As part of last August’s Erik Karlsson trade, the Sharks hold Pittsburgh’s top-10 protected first-round draft pick this year. It looked like a Sharks coup on March 28, as the Penguins were seven points out of a playoff spot and in 22nd place in the league’s overall standings, or just outside the bottom 10.
But since then, the Penguins have gone 5-0-2, and with their 6-5 overtime win over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, have moved into the second and final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Starting on March 24, Crosby has led the NHL with 20 points in 10 games.
Thursday, Crosby assisted on Karlsson’s overtime goal, giving him a goal and two assists for the game. That moved him into 10th place in the league’s all-time scoring list with 591 goals and 1,000 assists.
“He plays his best when the stakes are high like all of the all-time greats that have played the game,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said of Crosby. “He’s one of those guys.”
The Penguins (37-30-12) are now 17th in the overall standings but can still finish as low as 21st. That’s only if they cool off over their last three games and the teams immediately below them – Washington, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Minnesota – string together some wins. Three points separate those five teams.
Ideally, from a Sharks perspective, the Penguins would now land somewhere between 12th and 16th in the draft order. If the Penguins make the playoffs, that first-round pick the Sharks own could be anywhere from 17th to 32nd overall.
That would be less than ideal for a Sharks team that wants to have as much choice and flexibility as possible with that second first-round pick.
Per moneypuck.com, the Penguins now have a 57.2% chance of making the playoffs. They have games remaining against Boston, Nashville, and the New York Islanders.
“He’s a big part of our game and he’s a big reason that we are in the situation we’re in,” Karlsson said of Crosby. “We’re going to need him playing like this down the stretch here to have a chance.”
After their 3-1 win over the Seattle Kraken on Thursday, the Sharks moved to within four points of the Blackhawks for 31st place in the NHL’s overall standings. That’s down from being seven points back just four days ago. San Jose has three games left, and Chicago has four.
On Friday, if the Blackhawks – now 16-19-4 at home – beat the Nashville Predators at United Center, then San Jose will be locked into 32nd place in the league standings, giving it a 25.5 percent chance of winning the draft lottery, a date for which has not been set.
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The Sharks, even if they win their last three games, would also finish 32nd If the Blackhawks collect two of a possible eight points in their final four games
As part of the Timo Meier trade in Feb. 2023, the Sharks owned a conditional second-round pick from the New Jersey Devils. The condition was if the Devils reached the Eastern Conference final this year, that second-round selection would turn into a first-rounder.
But the Devils have been eliminated from playoff contention, and enter Friday in 22nd place in the overall standings. If they stay in that spot, that second-round pick the Sharks own will be 42nd overall.
