Sharks find a new way to win

So how good are the Sharks?

So good that style points are starting to matter. When they "muck and grind" their way to a 2-0 victory, as coach Todd McLellan described Thursday night's win over Anaheim, you start to wonder if the flu has hit the entire team.

We not only expect the Sharks to win every game, we also expect them to win with that explosive, high-octane, no-shot-is-a-bad-shot, pinball style of play they have used in their blistering 23-3-2 start. They're the NHL's answer to the 2007 New England Patriots, where a win just didn't feel right unless Tom Brady threw four touchdown passes and the Pats scored at least 30 points.

The Sharks have set the bar higher than Jody Shelley's pain threshold. And when a 2-0 win has you wondering what went wrong, well, that's a clear sign that you have a special team.

"It wasn't quite the kind of game we've been playing, the free-flowing game," McLellan said.