San Jose on road to nowhere after loss
OTTAWA, ONTARIO >> The downward spiral continues as the Sharks’ fourth straight loss made Erik Karlsson’s return to Ottawa an experience he’d just as soon forget.
The Sharks are now 0-3-1 on their five-game trip that concludes tonight in Montreal, and they’ve lost six straight on the road. The last time the Sharks earned a win away from SAP Center was Oct. 28 in Anaheim.
In addition to the team’s spotty goaltending and porous defense, the Sharks (12-10-5) are struggling to generate five-on-five offense as well, producing just three even-strength goals on the trip. They haven’t held a lead at any point since they left San Jose on Nov. 23.
To make matters worse, Timo Meier missed his second straight game with an upper-body injury.
Here’s what we learned in the Sharks 6-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators Saturday afternoon:
1. THE SHARKS FINALLY ADMIT THERE’S A PROBLEM >> The rest of the Sharks are finally starting to get on board with what Logan Couture has been saying.
Throughout the Sharks’ topsyturvy month of November, the general message out of the room was that things were bound to turn around quickly and the squad would round into the Stanley Cup contender many predicted
they would be.
In Las Vegas last weekend, head coach Pete DeBoer suggested that the problem is a media creation. After the Sharks loss in Toronto on Wednesday, captain Joe Pavelski said the team is close to playing like a contender.
Couture is the only person who has expressed sincere concern, saying Wednesday that it shouldn’t take the team 26 games to figure out how to play a new style with Karlsson.
After Saturday’s loss, Pavelski acknowledged there’s concern in the room.
“We’ve just got to stop the bleeding,” the Sharks captain said. “We’ve got to put an end to this, figure it out, find a way to win.
“We’ve got to fix it in here. There’s nothing else coming right now.”
The same problems plagued the Sharks on Saturday. A soft net-front presence on the Senators’ first goal. A softie from Martin Jones on the second goal. Odd-man rushes on the third and fourth goals and the rout was on.
DeBoer got right to the core of the issue: confidence. The Sharks have lost it. They’re playing with the mindset of a golfer who steps up to the tee box after four straight shanks.
“I don’t think it’s a lack of urgency. There’s a little bit of a confidence issue,” he said. “We need to find a way to get that swagger back.”
The Sharks coach also took ownership for the team’s struggles at a time
when the fan base is showering him with blame. Despite his tendency to downplay, he clearly understands how hot things are getting.
“You’re concerned, but we’ve got a lot of hockey left. We have to figure it out,” he said. “That starts in my room.”
2. MIKKEL BOEDKER GETS REVENGE >> Boedker almost single-handedly spoiled Karlsson’s homecoming, getting revenge on the team that shipped him off to Ottawa in a salary dump to make cap space for their pursuit of a difference-maker in the offseason.
After weeks of anticipation, Karlsson made his return to the city where he was drafted, but Boedker stole the show, recording a four-point game. The former Shark scored the backbreaking third goal at 13:45 of the second period and set up three more.
The Sharks traded Boedker to the Senators in June for Mike Hoffman, whom they quickly flipped to the Florida Panthers for draft
picks — all in an effort to clear cap space for a run at unrestricted free agent John Tavares on July 1. After Tavares opted to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Sharks turned to Plan B and acquired Karlsson from Ottawa for Chris Tierney, Dylan DeMelo, Rudolfs Balcers, Josh Norris and a pair of draft picks on the eve of training camp.
Boedker’s two-year stay in San Jose was rocky as he failed to live up to the fouryear, $16-million contract he signed with the team in July 2016. After DeBoer envisioned Boedker as the third piece to Couture and Joonas Donskoi’s line, writing that combo down on a cocktail napkin after the signing, the Danish forward spent most of his career with the Sharks skating in the bottom six. On a handful of occasions, he served as a healthy scratch, including Game 3 of the Sharks playoff series with the Edmonton Oilers in 2016.
Saturday, he flashed all the potential the Sharks
saw in him 2 ½ years ago. Tierney also grabbed an assist and DeMelo skated for 22:58 on the Senators topdefensive pairing.
“Glad they’re settling in and doing well,” DeBoer said. “But this is about us right now.”
3. KARLSSON PLEASED TO
PUT HOMECOMING GAME
IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR >> Karlsson acknowledged that he was moved by the tribute that the Senators played on the cube during the middle of the first.
After the video montage of his highlights with the Senators, Karlsson took off his helmet, hopped over the boards and went for a twirl on the ice, waving to the home crowd as he received a standing ovation. The cheers continued as Karlsson returned to the bench. He waved again, clearly holding back the emotion.
Now, he’s ready to move forward and concentrate on righting the Sharks’ ship.
“It’s going to be nice to move on now,” Karlsson said. “I’m excited to play in Montreal and hopefully sort this mess out.”