SAN JOSE — The San Jose Sharks have struggled with attendance at SAP Heart this season however have nonetheless performed six video games earlier than introduced crowds of 17,000 followers or extra.
The Sharks have now misplaced all six, with the newest coming in exasperating style.
Friday evening, the Sharks carried a lead into the third interval solely to surrender 4 unanswered targets – together with two in 23 seconds whereas shorthanded – in a 6-3 loss to Tomas Hertl and the Vegas Golden Knights.
Followers have been loud and energetic all through. However on this six-game shedding streak, which the Sharks will carry into Saturday’s residence sport in opposition to the Calgary Flames, they’ve held a third-period lead 5 occasions and have one level to point out for it.
“Extremely frustrating,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky mentioned. “I think our fans deserve a lot more than that.”
Friday’s crowd of 17,435, the Sharks’ fourth introduced sellout in 18 residence video games thus far this season, noticed the Sharks take a 3-2 lead into the third interval on targets by Shakir Mukhamadullin, Will Smith, and Tyler Toffoli.
However it all got here aside shortly after the Sharks (11-21-6) started an influence play early within the third interval.
With the Sharks main 3-2, Brayden McNabb took a go from Jack Eichel, entered the San Jose zone, and ripped a shot previous goalie Alexandar Georgiev to tie the sport on the 1:03 mark of the third interval.
Simply 23 seconds later, the Golden Knights broke out of their very own to arrange a 2-on-2. After taking a go from Mark Stone, Eichel cut up Alexander Wennberg and Timothy Liljegren, received in alone, and beat Georgiev with a backhand to forehand transfer.
There was nonetheless 18:33 left in regulation time, nevertheless it felt like a dying blow to a fragile Sharks staff that has performed nothing however battle within the third interval for the higher a part of two weeks.
San Jose Sharks’ Barclay Goodrow (23) fights Vegas Golden Knights’ Nicolas Hague (14) within the third interval on the SAP Heart in San Jose, Calif., on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Space Information Group)
“We stopped skating. Stopped hunting the puck and then (pucks) end up in the back of our net,” Warsofsky mentioned.
Earlier than Friday, the Sharks’ common introduced crowd was solely 13,352, or 76.6 p.c of capability, by way of their first 16 residence video games this yr.
After Friday, San Jose is now 0-5-1 in video games with an introduced crowd of 17,000 or extra.
One other large crowd could be available on Saturday. We’ll see how the Sharks reply. Up to now, it’s been fairly dismal.
“We want to be better for the crowd,” Smith mentioned. “When this building’s packed, it’s pretty loud. We want to make sure we go out there before and perform for them. We want them to come watch our games. We want to get a W there in the third, and we’ve got to be better for them.”
The Sharks are utilizing the slogan ‘The Future is Teal’ this season. Proper now, followers should take the Thirty first-place Sharks at their phrase.
“We should be winning these hockey games,” Warsofsky mentioned. “We have leads. When we play together, when we play the right way with our structure and with our effort, I think we put teams on their heels, and when we have, we play some pretty good hockey.
“But again, we don’t do it consistently enough, and we’re going to keep getting this result until we do it.”
San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini (71) takes a shot in opposition to Vegas Golden Knights’ Brett Howden (21) within the first interval on the SAP Heart in San Jose, Calif., on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Space Information Group)
Not solely did the Sharks’ energy play personnel permit two targets, nevertheless it additionally went 0-for-3 with the person benefit, producing 4 pictures on aim.
“This can’t happen,” Wennberg mentioned of the obtrusive energy play points. “Right now, in this stretch here, we’ve been having the lead and just finding ways to lose games. We had a little break here, but it’s the same story.”
“We’ve got to learn from this, and I think it’s got to come from within the room,” Warsofsky mentioned. “We have to understand and learn what it takes to win in this league, and we don’t know what it takes to win.”
Warsofsky once more tweaked his ahead traces with William Eklund injured and unavailable, and had Smith play with Macklin Celebrini and Fabian Zetterlund. The trio was thrilling to look at, particularly within the first two durations.
On Smith’s aim on the 5:53 mark of the second interval, Celebrini created a turnover within the impartial zone. With an additional effort by Celebrini, the puck got here again to Smith, who despatched a no-look go again to Celebrini earlier than he charged the web. Celebrini put a shot on aim after which despatched a go to Smith, who knocked it throughout the road for his sixth aim.
San Jose Sharks’ Alexander Wennberg (21) fights for the puck in opposition to Vegas Golden Knights’ Tomas Hertl (48) within the third interval on the SAP Heart in San Jose, Calif., on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Space Information Group)
Nonetheless, it continues to be a studying course of for all the Sharks’ youthful gamers and for some who will not be so younger.
“Offensively, they do some good things,” Warsofsky mentioned of the road. “But what we’re trying to build here is winning habits, foundation habits, to win in this league, and you see organizations up and down this league that are still struggling with their young players to figure out what it takes to win. And It needs to start now. It can’t start in two or three years. It needs to start now.
“That is a message with our group, with our younger players, with our older players, the winning foundational habits that you need to play with in this league to win. It’s pretty simple and pretty direct. And if we don’t do that, this is going to be a long process, and we don’t want it to be a long process.”
San Jose Sharks’ Will Smith (2) scores a aim in opposition to Vegas Golden Knights’ goaltender Adin Hill (33) within the second interval on the SAP Heart in San Jose, Calif., on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Space Information Group)
Initially Printed: December 28, 2024 at 12:18 AM PST
