Sharks Struggle in 7-2 Loss to Panthers, Extend Losing Streak to Six


Sharks Struggle in 7-2 Loss to Panthers, Extend Losing Streak to Six

Courtesy of Matthew Huang/Getty Images

SAN JOSE — Fans who stayed in their seats during both intermissions of the Sharks game on Saturday night, celebrating the upcoming Lunar New Year, were treated to a couple of energetic and entertaining performances from the Rising Phoenix and Lion Dance Associations.

But the fans who watched the game hoping for anything near the same level of execution from Team Teal were extremely disappointed.

The Sharks were embarrassed by the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, 7-2, in the latest installment of hockey in which San Jose has given up 20 goals over the past three games.

Showing flashes of promise in the first period, San Jose quickly rebounded from a 1-0 deficit with back-to-back goals from Will Smith and Cody Ceci to take a 2-1 lead. However, the Panthers responded with consecutive goals from A.J. Greer and Aaron Ekblad and never looked back.

The Sharks were down but not out entering the second period. However, whatever glimmer of optimism there might have been from keeping it close with the Panthers was emphatically extinguished when Florida scored four goals in that period, making the contest look more like a low-scoring football game.

The disastrous second period started with San Jose giving up two goals in the first six minutes, causing goaltender Alexandar Georgiev to be pulled after surrendering his fifth goal of the night. Despite the abysmal stat line for the netminder, it was clear to everyone in attendance at the Tank that Georgiev was far from the only player in teal having an off night.

Like a broken record, Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky has said many times this season that the team has to do a better job of responding when the momentum shifts against them.

“We know we can do it, but we have to push past this mental block we have of getting deflated in certain situations when things don’t go our way,” Warsofsky said.

The Panthers weren't slowed down by the presence of a new goalie in Yaroslav Askarov and quickly tallied another goal off the stick of Matthew Tkachuk on a deflection in front of the net.

The ease with which Tkachuk skated to the crease was par for the course on Saturday night. Defensive breakdowns in the neutral zone and failed clearing attempts in the defensive zone allowed the Panthers to produce a number of Grade-A scoring chances throughout the contest.

“We weren't competing enough, and we were leaving our goalies out to dry,” said a clearly disappointed Will Smith following the team's 32nd regulation loss of the season. “One of the things we want to take pride in is the defensive zone, and we just have to be better at it.”

As disheartening as it must have been to lose complete control of the game in the second period, this year's Sharks are no strangers to stretches of bad play. Some of this can be chalked up to the growing pains of a young team looking to find consistency in a league that is unforgiving of too many lapses. But some of the most damaging miscues came from the play of some veterans. The defensive play of Jake Wahlman and Cody Ceci struggled at times and surrendered a breakaway goal to Greer early in the second period.

Marc-Édouard Vlasic also had a costly turnover that led to a goal early in the first period. Getting such low-caliber play from the guys on the roster barely old enough to vote is one thing, but poor performances from veterans are inexcusable, even when going up against one of the best teams in the league.

One of the few positives the Sharks have going for them is that this appears to be a group that legitimately enjoys being around each other. If there is to be more optimism for the future being created this season, that camaraderie is going to have to show up on the ice and on the scoresheet.

“It's embarrassing for us to lose like that in front of the home crowd. We have a tight group here, so we have to be better for the fans and for us in general,” Smith said. “We have to be better for each other.”

When 13-year veteran Tyler Toffoli was asked if he was concerned that the losing streak could have lingering effects on the morale of the younger players like Macklin Celebrini and Smith, Toffoli bristled at the question.

“Concerned in what way? They shouldn’t be happy losing,” Toffoli replied. “They’re emotional guys, and we have a lot of emotional guys in here, so I hope they would feel the same way that I feel. It’s a shitty feeling, and we’ve got to try and do something about it.”

The problem is the Sharks have allowed at least five goals in each of the last three games and have given up the most goals in the NHL this season.

The Sharks will try to end their six-game losing streak when they host Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night. What they need to overcome is that they’re 8-16-1 in home games. The Sharks have allowed 191 goals while scoring 137, resulting in a -54 goal differential. The puck drops at 7:30 PM.


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