The San Jose Sharks are reeling after suffering a playoff elimination at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights, but in case fans were looking where to point a finger of blame, the goaltender should not be the target.
Sharks’ goalie Martin Jones came into the 2nd-round series playing strong, with a .970 save percentage during their first round series sweep over the Anaheim Ducks.
But Jones struggled in the 2nd round, posting a .895 percentage in the series, capped off by allowing 2 goals on 32 shots in the Sunday night loss that ended the series.
Sharks captain Joe Pavelski is quick to point the blame at the team when explaining Jones’ struggles.
“I wouldn’t look at those numbers as being anything on him,” Pavelski said, according to the Mercury News. “We need to do a better job in front of him. The games that got away from us we turned a few too many pucks over, didn’t spend enough time in the ozone, fed their transition. They’re a dangerous team when you give them that.
“Sometimes you have to give credit to the other guy,” Sharks defenseman Brent Burns said. “The enemy’s got a vote and the enemy this series was Fleury. I don’t know what his numbers are, but he played unbelievable. It was tough to get goals.”
Jones will be looking to bounce back in 2018. Jones posted a 30-22-6 record in the regular season with a 2.55 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage for San Jose in 2017-2018.
