SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 14: San Jose Sharks goaltender James Reimer (47) blocks a shot in entrance of Edmonton Oilers’ Zach Hyman (18) within the second interval on the SAP Middle in San Jose, Calif., on Monday, Feb. 14, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Space Information Group)
SAN JOSE – The Sharks are in determined want of victories proper now and coach Bob Boughner made it clear Tuesday that the time for excuses and sloppy play is over.
The Sharks had been coming off of a 12-day layoff earlier than their disheartening 3-0 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Monday that stored them seven factors out of a playoff spot with 35 video games left to play. A handful of gamers are out with accidents, together with defenseman Erik Karlsson, however that shouldn’t take away from how the Sharks wish to play, Boughner stated.
“Getting all the justifications out of the way in which, there’s no time for that,” Boughner stated. “We’re a workforce that if our huge guys aren’t going, we’re in plenty of hassle, and final night time, not solely had been our huge guys not going, we had no depth going.
“It’s response time, principally. We might sit and repair a number of the issues that we talked about as we speak that occurred final night time, and we did, we had a tough apply. We practiced tougher (Tuesday) than we performed (Monday). It shouldn’t take getting pissed off to have a greater effort in apply than you do within the sport.”
The Sharks (22-21-4) have scored simply two even-strength targets of their final three video games, each by Rudolfs Balcers, who's questionable to play Thursday in opposition to the Vancouver Canucks after he blocked a shot along with his higher physique late within the second interval of Monday’s sport.
With the puck contained in the Sharks’ zone, Balcers turned and was hit within the facet by a shot from simply contained in the blue line by Oilers defenseman Cody Ceci. Balcers skated off the ice below his personal energy however didn't return for the third interval, because the Sharks misplaced for the sixth time within the final seven video games.
Balcers additionally missed 13 video games from Dec. 7 to Jan. 11 with a knee damage he suffered in a Dec. 3 sport with the New York Rangers. He then missed three video games from Jan. 20 to 26 when he was positioned within the NHL’s COVID protocol.
Regardless of that, Balcers was truly the Sharks’ third-leading point-getter from Jan. 11 to Feb 1 with 5 factors in six video games. Solely Timo Meier (eight) and Tomas Hertl (seven) had extra.
Boughner stated Balcers is taken into account day-to-day for now, including that there's an out of doors likelihood he might play Thursday. Boughner, although, is extra hopeful that the winger can play Sunday in opposition to the Vegas Golden Knights within the remaining sport of a three-game homestand.
Nonetheless, Boughner added, the Sharks have to get again to a blue-collar mentality.
“We’re not going to (crease) onerous sufficient. We’re not getting sufficient pucks to the online,” Boughner stated. “We had (31) shot makes an attempt (Monday) and we averaged 54, 55 an evening. In order that’s in all probability the worst I’ve seen all 12 months of us simply with the intent to shoot, primary.
“We don’t have sufficient guys sticking across the blue paint and once we get there, we go away.”
Boughner pointed to the Oilers’ first two targets Monday after they had gamers stationed in entrance of the online to create visitors and trigger deflections.
“They didn’t do something,” Boughner stated. “They received a draw and sifted one to the online, and the opposite one was a protracted shot that they obtained inside on us. So we’re not getting inside on different groups proper now. We obtained to be tougher round their internet.”
Apart from the Sharks’ determined want for factors, Boughner thought there may need been a bit extra ardour amongst his group with the problem of attempting to decelerate Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evander Kane. Followers at SAP Middle booed Kane each likelihood they obtained, however there wasn’t a ton of physicality and even post-whistle scrums.
“If McDavid goes off or Draisaitl goes off or (Kane) is available in there and he’s unbelievable and also you lose the sport since you’re not adequate and their ability took over the sport, that’s a unique half, proper?” Boughner stated.
“We didn’t give ourselves an opportunity, and I believed we might interact bodily, I didn’t suppose we had been bodily sufficient on them. Ready round for one thing to occur and seeing what sort of emotion there was going to be within the sport as an alternative of making our personal. That’s an issue the place everyone was simply dipping their toes within the water and nobody dove in.”
Boughner lamented the shortage of particulars, akin to Timo Meier taking 4 minutes in penalties on the 13:48 mark of the second interval and the poor line change within the third interval that led to McDavid’s third-period purpose.
Each Noah Gregor and Alexander Barabanov headed off for a line change with the Oilers having possession of the puck at their very own blue line. McDavid took a go from Evan Bouchard, skated round Brent Burns and beat James Reimer for his twenty fourth purpose of the season.
Due to the dangerous change, forwards Lane Pederson and Jonathan Dahlen weren’t able to do something concerning the go to McDavid.
Boughner stated he known as out Meier for the penalties and stated the poor line adjustments had been egocentric performs.
“The rationale why we got here up with the system, clearly, is we knew what sort of workforce we had,” Boughner stated. “To remain in video games, we needed to play as tight as doable, they usually purchased into that every one 12 months. Final night time, we obtained away from it.
“Simply goes to point out you once we do, we’re not an excellent workforce.”
NOTE: Gregor took Balcers’ spot on the Sharks’ second line with Logan Couture and Jonathan Dahlen. Boughner stated regardless of the road change, Gregor may need been the Sharks’ finest ahead Monday, as he had 15:20 of ice time. In any other case, the Sharks had the identical ahead traces and protection pairs in apply that that they had for Monday’s sport.