DeBoer, Wilson messages received
Closed-door talks with coach, GM spark team
Brent Burns, top, and Radim Simek congratulate Joe Pavelski after his goal made it 3-1against Montreal. MONTREAL >> Whatever Sharks coach Pete DeBoer and general manager Doug Wilson said in closed-door meetings that lasted more than a half-hour Sunday morning must have resonated with the team.
The Sharks (13-10-5) ended their five-game trip with a win in Montreal, snapping a four-game losing streak and ending a string of six straight road losses.
The win came on the heels of a blowout loss in Ottawa that inspired the pregame team meetings.
Logan Couture said the team held meetings with both the coach and the general manager. They came at a time when DeBoer is facing heat from the fan base for the team’s subpar performance in the wake of the Erik Karlsson trade.
“The tone was, we can figure this out. We have the team to win games in this league,” Couture said. “It takes a full buy-in from everyone to do things right and tonight is a step in that direction.”
Here’s what we learned in the Sharks 3-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens:
THE SHARKS GAIN CONFIDENCE WITH AN EARLY GOAL >> When you step up to the tee box after four straight shanks, it helps the confidence if you can drive the ball 300-plus yards down the middle of the fairway. That’s what Justin Braun’s goal at 2:55 of the first did for the Sharks on Sunday.
After Saturday’s loss, DeBoer acknowledged that the Sharks inconsistent play over the last month has taken a toll on the Sharks confidence. As soon as something goes wrong, they feel like the next shot is going into the woods.
Couture can see the lack of confidence in how the Sharks are playing through the neutral zone.
“Pete’s right. A lot of guys are struggling with confidence,” Cou-
ture said. “Guys that like to make plays through the neutral zone are instead making the safe play and chipping it in. That’s not our game.
“A win like that helps your confidence. When you’re losing, it feels like everything’s going wrong, and if you try and make that play through the neutral zone, you turn the puck over, it ends up in the back of your net.”
Instead of hurting themselves with a neutral zone turnover, the Sharks capitalized on one to take their first lead of the entire road trip. Braun intercepted a Canadiens pass in the neutral zone and then beat Carey Price with a 66-foot slapshot, scoring his first of the season and just the 23rd goal of his nine-year career. Later in the period, the Sharks went ahead 2-0 when Brent Burns netted his first goal in 15 games on a 5-on-3 power play.
“You get the confidence, but we were pretty excited for him,” Joe Pavelski said, referring to Braun. “We got a little energy, got a little hop in our step.
“We got another one on the power play and we were off and rolling.” PAVELSKI’S GOAL HALTS ANOTHER CONCERNING TREND >> After the Sharks meeting, DeBoer spoke about another problem that plagued the team over the first four games of the trip. When the Sharks have faced adversity, things have snowballed quickly.
By the second half of the middle frame, it looked like the Sharks were getting sucked into another he-wego-again meltdown.
Jeff Petry cut the lead to 2-1 at 12:15 of the second and by the fifteen minute mark, the Habs were outshooting the Sharks 15-8 over a 20-minute span after surrendering 10 of the first 12 shots. Then, Pavelski buried a beautiful seam pass from Burns in the slot, giving the Sharks a 3-1 lead with his team-leading 17th of the season.
Instead of allowing things to spiral out of control, the Sharks regained their footing for the first time on the trip.
“That’s something we’ve talked about trying to get
corrected,” goalie Martin Jones said. “We did a great job tonight. Huge goal by Pavs.”
Jones preserved the win by making 40 saves, including 22 in the third period.
RADIM SIMEK GIVES DEBOER SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT >> Joakim Ryan might be facing competition to maintain the role of Wookiee Whisperer on the Sharks blue line.
Radim Simek made his NHL debut Sunday night and gave the Sharks 17 quality shifts serving as Brent Burns’ defensive partner. Simek played a quiet but effective game, making smart-subtle plays all over the ice. He also gave the Sharks a physical edge, throwing a crushing blow on Kenny Agostino in the second and upending with a hit Brendan Gallagher in the third.
Most notable is the fact that DeBoer skated Simek for 5:05 in the third as the Sharks closed out the game. DeBoer has stapled Ryan to the bench in the third period throughout much of the season. The performance was particularly impressive considering that the Czech defenseman hasn’t suited up since the preseason after serving as a healthy scratch in 27 straight games.
“For a guy who’s been sitting and just practicing for two months, I thought he was phenomenal,” DeBoer said.