SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks can play spoiler over the ultimate two-plus weeks of the common season with a handful of their remaining opponents nonetheless vying for a playoff spot or jockeying for a greater place.
It actually didn’t occur on Saturday, because the determined New York Rangers taught the Sharks’ remarkably younger lineup a tough lesson.
The Sharks allowed two targets to Artemi Panarin within the first interval and one other to Adam Fox within the second and by no means recovered in a 6-1 loss to the Rangers earlier than an introduced sellout crowd of 17,435 at SAP Heart.
Cam Lund, enjoying in his second NHL recreation, supplied San Jose’s lone spotlight as he scored his first NHL objective with 2:15 left within the third interval to assist the Sharks keep away from the shutout.
Goalie Alexandar Georgiev stopped simply 19 of the primary 24 pictures he confronted, with Fox and ex-Shark Jonny Brodzinski scoring on back-to-back pictures within the third interval to safe the Rangers’ win.
However Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky wasn’t going to pin Saturday’s end result on simply his goalie, because the Sharks took a determined step again from how they performed in wins over the Boston Bruins final week and the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.
“I would say our young players had young games tonight,” Warsofsky mentioned of the Sharks, who dressed eight rookies towards the Rangers.
Puck administration points plagued the Sharks, who gave Panarin an excessive amount of time and area on his first two targets, which got here 1:54 aside and supplied the Rangers a 2-0 lead.
Principally, although, the tempo and compete the Sharks displayed of their 6-5 win over Toronto on Thursday have been absent, as they ended their eight-game homestand with a 3-5-0 report.
“We just got away from the way we need to play,” Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro mentioned. “It’s a very fine line for us right now. It’s pretty obvious from the two games that we played well the things that we were doing to be successful, and tonight was just not one of those nights.
“There was nobody playing the right way tonight, so I hope it’s a lesson learned. We have played better hockey, but that’s a team trying to make the playoffs right now. I really felt like we just gave them two points.”
The Sharks added some large our bodies to their lineup on the NHL commerce deadline, however they didn’t play large Saturday. Not even shut.
“We’ve got size,” Warsofsky mentioned, “but if we don’t use it, what’s the point of it?. We’ve got to be more physically engaged, that’s for sure.”
“Weren’t hard enough, weren’t competing hard enough, weren’t playing smart enough,” Ferraro mentioned. “Neutral zone play, O-zone play, blind plays just hurt us tonight.”
The Sharks have been way back eradicated from playoff rivalry, however they nonetheless have the chance to spoil the postseason hopes — or have an effect on the playoff seeding — of their opposition as they end the common season.
However they might not decelerate the Rangers, who now have 77 factors, two greater than the Montreal Canadiens and Columbus Blue Jackets. These three groups, and others, are competiong for the second and closing wild card spot within the Jap Convention.
Of San Jose’s 10 remaining video games, eight are towards groups making an attempt to clinch a playoff spot or earn a greater place. Three come towards the Edmonton Oilers, who need to safe second place within the Pacific Division for residence ice benefit within the first spherical.
The Sharks’ opponent on Sunday, the Los Angeles Kings, is in second place within the Pacific.
Two different Sharks’ video games are towards the Calgary Flames, and another is towards the Minnesota Wild. Each groups are nonetheless making an attempt to lock down postseason berths.
Saturday’s loss additionally stored the Sharks in thirty second place within the NHL’s total standings. San Jose nonetheless has 49 factors, two fewer than Chicago, which has 9 video games left.
Whichever staff finishes with the NHL’s worst report can have a 25.5% likelihood of profitable the draft lottery in Could. The staff that finishes thirty first can have a 13.5% likelihood of profitable the lottery.
The Sharks completed in final place final season, gained the lottery, and chosen Macklin Celebrini, now their top-line centerman, first total. The highest participant out there on this yr’s draft is extensively believed to be Erie Otters defenseman Matthew Schaefer.
Initially Revealed: March 29, 2025 at 10:06 PM PDT
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