Sharks' Joel Ward: Dishes out two helpers

Ward picked up a pair of assists in a 4-1 win over the Kings on Wednesday. He also skated to a plus-3.

Analysis:

The points are just the sixth and seventh of the season for the veteran, who is well off the pace of his 43-point campaign from a year ago. At least a portion of Ward's struggles are due to his marked reduction in power-play time, as he's averaged just 0:39 per game compared to last season's 2:32, which led to a career-high 12 points with the man advantage. The 35-year-old is, however, still clinging to a spot in the top six next to center Logan Couture while averaging over 16 minutes of total ice time, suggesting an uptick in production isn't out of the question, given his role and track record.