SAN JOSE – By way of the adversity the Sharks have confronted in current weeks, via the errors they made and the inexperience they often confirmed, one axiom for this group (largely) held true: that they continued to play onerous for one another.
That was, till the third interval of Saturday’s 8-0 loss to the Nashville Predators at SAP Heart, their worst shutout defeat on dwelling ice in over 30 years.
Then they merely shut it down.
After they allowed a fourth aim close to the top of the second interval, the Sharks’ will to compete over the ultimate 20 minutes disappeared, resulting in some embarrassingly simple targets for the Predators over the ultimate 20 minutes, particularly by Matt Duchene and Michael McCarron.
“Very disappointing,” Sharks ahead Nick Bonino stated. “I assumed we really got here out fairly good. We bought down 3-0 with some fairly crap targets. They'd a great net-front, however they had been simply slinging pictures on the internet that had been entering into.
“That fourth aim appeared to interrupt us and it went from there.”
The boo birds got here out after McCarron’s aim on the 6:07 mark of the third interval made it 6-0. Deservedly so. Followers contained in the downtown area, which opened in 1993, had by no means seen the Sharks undergo a shutout loss as lopsided as this one.
“We’re embarrassed,” captain Logan Couture stated of the temper within the room. “You lose by that giant of a margin, nobody’s feeling good about themselves.”
Scrap within the stands at SAP Heart. An throughout ugly night time right here. pic.twitter.com/lVQL45ixeO
— Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) March 6, 2022
With the Sharks managing simply 20 pictures whereas being shut out for the sixth time this season, the loudest cheers contained in the rink within the third interval had been for a pair of fights, as winger Jonah Gadjovich fought with Predators defenseman Ben Harpur and defenseman Jake Middleton dropped the gloves with Nashville ahead Luke Kunin.
The scraps weren’t restricted to the ice floor, both.
A uncommon battle broke out within the decrease bowl of the stands, because it appeared a bunch of Sharks followers exchanged haymakers with a number of of the Predators trustworthy, a scrum that took some time to interrupt up after outnumbered area ushers and native police confirmed up.
Yeah, this was an unpleasant one contained in the previous Tank.
Now, how will this crew reply?
After Saturday’s recreation, the Sharks spoke about one of many few positives: that they’re getting an opportunity to flush that reminiscence immediately and switch their consideration to immediately’s recreation with the Anaheim Geese.
The issue is that the injury-decimated lineup that shall be at Honda Heart in Orange County received’t be a lot completely different from the one which was run out of its personal constructing Saturday.
The Sharks are enjoying with out their prime two goalies, James Reimer and Adin Hill, for the primary time this season. Add to that the accidents to defensemen Erik Karlsson, Mario Ferraro, and Jaycob Megna, and the chance exists that extra nights like Saturdays are within the offing, though Karlsson and Megna might be again by late subsequent week.
Reimer and Hill each have lower-body accidents. Reimer is hoping he can play once more in a few weeks, if not sooner, and Hill may lastly be seeing a light-weight on the finish of the tunnel after his harm has saved him out for about six weeks.
Nonetheless, this can be a nightmare situation for the Sharks.
A day after Reimer’s harm, the Sharks on Wednesday traded for Alex Stalock to a minimum of have one other goalie with some NHL expertise within the group. However Stalock, after some spectacular early saves, let in a handful of softies and finally was pulled after he allowed six targets on 28 pictures.
Zach Sawchenko, who got here on in reduction will get his first NHL begin, allowed two targets on eight pictures, and can get the beginning tonight in opposition to the Geese.
“We’ve bought loads of guys on this room who've received or gone deep (within the playoffs) and have extra pleasure than this,” Bonino stated. “Clearly, as a crew, we wish this to be a one-off and the great factor is we are able to come to the rink (Sunday) in opposition to a divisional opponent and try to get a win.”
However the Sharks haven’t been in a position to rating targets on a constant foundation for a very long time now, and if the highest line of Tomas Hertl, Timo Meier, and Alexander Barabanov isn’t producing, then any multi-goal deficit – just like the one the Sharks fell into on the 18:30 mark of the primary interval Saturday – simply feels an excessive amount of for this group to beat.
In opposition to Predators goalie Juuse Saros on Saturday, a one-goal deficit turned out to be too massive, as he completed with 20 saves handy San Jose its sixth shutout loss this season.
Saturday’s recreation got here simply two days after coach Bob Boughner had a gathering with a few of his veterans, asking them to cleared the path and push via regardless that issues will not be going nicely.
“Let’s ensure that we’re coming and enjoying with a goal each night time,” Boughner stated Friday.
“When you may have that many accidents and also you’re enjoying rather a lot, you don’t need to begin to really feel sorry for your self. We need to ensure that each night time we deliver it, we compete and provides ourselves an opportunity, and if we’re not adequate that night time, a minimum of you be ok with going and executing the sport plan and emptying the tanks, principally.”
That didn’t occur within the third interval Saturday night time, and the top consequence was the most important shutout loss at dwelling since Dec. 5, 1991, after they had been trounced 8-0 by Mario Lemieux and the Pittsburgh Penguins.