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The San Jose Sharks ‘are back and we’re for real’

Patrick Marleau, Joel Ward, Justin Braun, Brenden Dillon

Patrick Marleau, Joel Ward, Justin Braun, Brenden Dillon

AP

Two wins in their first two games have the San Jose Sharks feeling pretty good about themselves.

“I think a statement was made that the Sharks are back and we’re for real this year,” said new coach Pete DeBoer, per CSN Bay Area.

You’ll recall that when DeBoer was hired to replace Todd McLellan, he predicted a “big bounce-back” for a Sharks side that still boasted the likes of Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, Brent Burns, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic.

The new additions have been helping, too.

Veteran defenseman Paul Martin, paired with Burns, logged 22:27 in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Anaheim. Martin had an assist in the season-opener, a 5-1 victory in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, winger Joel Ward has two assists in two games and says he’s seen “a lot of guys just buzzing and working hard for each other.”

And last but not least, netminder Martin Jones has allowed just one goal on 47 shots.

If the Sharks can get consistently good goaltending from their inexpensive-but-relatively-unproven tandem of Jones and Alex Stalock, it may be hard to find a glaring weakness in their lineup.

“We’re only two games in, but we played two tough teams,” said DeBoer. “I think the guys are feeling good about what we’re doing.”

The Sharks have another tough test Tuesday in Washington, where they kick off a four-game road trip against the Capitals, Devils, Islanders, and Rangers.