SAN JOSE – There aren’t any easy solutions to repair all that’s incorrect with the San Jose Sharks’ offense.
However William Eklund has a few strategies of the place to begin.
“Keep doing what we’re doing and being even more inside,” Eklund mentioned after the Sharks’ 4-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday at SAP Middle. “A lot of times you don’t score for a while, but our team has got to find a way to put the puck in the net, and the power play’s a big thing.”
Going into the beginning of their four-game highway journey on Tuesday in Anaheim, the Sharks are 3-for-18 on the facility play, together with swing and misses on a pair of 5-on-3 alternatives. Such an opportunity got here up within the second interval Sunday, when the Sharks had been trailing by a aim and had a two-man benefit for 70 seconds.
The Sharks labored it across the Avalanche zone however had only one shot on aim by heart Mikael Granlund and missed the online on one other try by defenseman Jake Walman. Of the Sharks’ 63 shot makes an attempt Sunday, 16 missed the online.
“Our 5-on-3 needs to improve. It’s twice now that we’ve had opportunities that we need to capitalize,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky mentioned. “We need to get some Grade A chances, first and foremost, and then I think they’ll start going in.
“It’s something we’ve worked on, we’ve talked about, it needs to continue to improve. We’ll probably work on it again (Monday) and get better at it because it needs to (have an) impact on our game.”
Concerning objectives scored, the Sharks are forward of final 12 months’s tempo, however not by a lot, particularly within the video games they’ve performed with out Macklin Celebrini.
For the season, the Sharks have averaged two objectives per sport. With out Celebrini within the final 5 video games, that common dips to 1.6.
Not sufficient, in fact, except the Sharks can get excellent or near-perfect performances from their goalies every night time. Final season, on their option to a 0-10-1 begin, the Sharks scored 11 objectives in 11 video games.
Whoops 😬. Vitek Vanecek’s identify is spelled incorrect on his jersey tonight. #SJSharks Picture credit score: INDTV USA pic.twitter.com/oYJfzdAf3F
Sharks goalie Vitek Vanecek stopped 18 of 21 photographs Sunday. Perhaps probably the most egregious error was how his final identify was spelled on his house jersey: V-A-N-A-C-E-Ok.
The Sharks will get that corrected. Fixing the offense is one other matter.
“I think there’s some systematic things that we do that get us to the inside,” Warsofsky mentioned. “We’ve got to do it more consistently, I’d say, is the biggest thing.”
On the very least, Sunday, the Sharks had been a tougher group to play towards than they had been in Friday’s 8-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.
Ross Colton scored an even-strength aim on the 16:37 mark of the primary interval as he completed a reasonably cross from Mikko Rantanen for a 2-0 Colorado lead. However that line, with Rantanen and reigning Hart Trophy winner Nathan MacKinnon, was just about performed to a draw by the Sharks, as they gave up virtually as many scoring probabilities throughout 5-on-5 play (six) as they allowed (eight) at even power.
That’s one optimistic the Sharks can take into Tuesday towards the Geese, who beat San Jose 2-0 on Oct. 12.
MARIO’S CREW: About two dozen youth hockey gamers from a group known as the SaberCats from close to San Francisco sat within the decrease deck in a single finish of SAP Middle dressed as Tremendous Mario, a tip of the cap to Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro.
“I’m the Sabercats coach,” Jon Fast wrote on the social media platform X, previously referred to as Twitter. “Mario has been insanely generous with the kids for years. It’s the absolute least we could do. He’s an A+ human being.”
“That’s a buddy of mine that kind of set that up with a bunch of the young kids that play on a team out by San Francisco, so it’s cool that they came to support,” Ferraro mentioned. “I wouldn’t be here without people like that, so I’m grateful for them.”
Ferraro additionally mentioned he might have made a greater play on a third-period aim by Joel Kiviranta, who bought behind the Sharks, took a cross from Josh Manson, and beat Vanecek for a 3-1 Avalanche lead.
“Just a little bit of missed coverage from the D zone. I don’t know. I should have done a better job before that play resulted in trying to get the puck up the ice, past their defenseman,” Ferraro mentioned.
“Tried to make a direct pass, got turned over, and then 30 seconds later, they ended up scoring. Some struggle coming off the off the battle on the wall, some coverage struggle. But it starts with me. I’ve got to get that puck deep.”
Initially Printed: October 20, 2024 at 9:48 p.m.
