SAN JOSE – Sharks winger Kevin Labanc has played with a wide variety of linemates over his six-plus seasons in the NHL. Rarely, though, has he been on the same line with both Tomas Hertl and Timo Meier.
Labanc’s getting that opportunity now, and after the trio had an impressive game together last Saturday against the Anaheim Ducks, the Sharks are hoping it’s a line they can keep together for a while.
Labanc, Hertl, and Meier were on the ice for all three of the Sharks’ even-strength goals against the Ducks, and per Natural Stat Trick, out-chanced their opposition 12-3 during 5-on-5 play.
Meier and Hertl each had a goal and two assists in the 5-4 shootout loss and Labanc, who is finding his stride again after he missed the majority of last season with a shoulder injury, had a goal and an assist, as all three players enjoyed their most productive games of the season.
After slow starts, Meier and Hertl each have 11 points in 14 games. In 13 games, Labanc has four points, a number that figures to increase if he can stay on a line with the Sharks’ top two forwards.
“We’ve had really good communication on the ice,” Labanc said. “Timo’s a big body that likes to take the puck to the net. Tommy’s just a really smart two-way center and I just kind of do a little bit of everything. Try and be defensive and also have an offensive mindset, work hard to give them the puck.”
Now the three hope to carry their newfound momentum into Thursday’s game against the free-falling St. Louis Blues as the Sharks (3-8-3) begin a four-game road trip.
“When he feels that confidence, he is a very dangerous player in the offensive zone,” Meier said of Labanc, “and I think he showed some of that last game.”
“We can be a really good line, but it can’t be just one game or two games,” Hertl said. “It has to be four games (on this road trip) that it has to be good.”
Through the season’s first month, Hertl, a center, and Meier, the left wing, have played with three other right wings, with varying levels of success.
The season started with worker bee Luke Kunin in that spot as Alexander Barabanov recovered from an upper-body injury. The Hertl-Meier-Kunin line generated its share of high-danger chances, 12-5 over five games per Natural Stat Stick, but only three even-strength goals.
Barabanov, known for his tenacity and his ability to distribute, was reunited with Meier and Hertl one game after he returned from injury, But again, offense was hard to come by for the line with just one goal in over 60 minutes of even strength time together.
The top line’s production picked up after the 6-foot-3, 208-pound Evgeny Svechnikov was placed with Meier and Hertl late last month.
But Svechnikov made a critical error late in the third period in a 4-3 Sharks loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 29 and played just 10 minutes in the Sharks’ next game against Anaheim. Svechnikov has been a healthy scratch in the Sharks’ last two games.
Enter Labanc, maybe the most offensively gifted of the four with easily the best shot. The only question was whether he could play a responsible enough two-way game with his increased responsibility, and perhaps that is still to be determined.
“If he’s playing with that pace and that energy that he played (Saturday) night and has been playing with lately, he’s got enough skill to complement it,” Sharks coach David Quinn said of Labanc.
“Confidence is a funny thing, right? As a coach, you can help a guy gain confidence, but he also has to play well to gain confidence. So I think that’s where he belongs. I think he’s a top-two line guy and as long as he continues with the effort that he’s shown, he’ll stay there.”
Labanc was a healthy scratch for the Sharks’ Oct. 20 game against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden in his native New York. But he has four points in the eight games since and had a season-high six shots on goal to go with 20 minutes of ice time in the Sharks’ loss to Anaheim on Saturday.
“Nervous isn’t the right word, but there wasn’t the poise I know he has in his game,” Quinn said, “and I think lately he’s been playing with more poise. He looks more comfortable with the puck, but he’s also playing at a higher pace and higher level.”
Although several Western Conference teams are off to middling starts, the Sharks probably need to string together some wins soon to not fall too far behind.
Entering Wednesday, the Sharks had the second-worst points percentage in the conference at .321, ahead of only St. Louis (.273), which has lost eight straight to fall to 3-8-0 on the season.
“It’ll be a good test for us to see where we’re at,” Labanc said. “We feel good about how we’re playing and hopefully we can string together a few wins.”