Can this team avoid sinking to bottom of Pacific?
Boughner wants team to form an identity over these last 13 games
Can the Sharks avoid finishing in last place in the Pacific Division for the first time in almost two decades?
And at this point, does it really matter?
Well, yes and no.
With the playoffs all but mathematically out of reach, the Sharks’ stated goal for the remainder of the regular season is to play to a certain blue collar identity. The hope is if they can lay the groundwork for that tight-checking, lowrisk mindset now, they can begin training camp in the fall already in tune with how they have to play.
But some positive reinforcement along the way in the form of victories wouldn't hurt.
“We all have pride, we want to win every game,” Sharks coach Bob Boughner said before his team's 4-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday. “It was disappointing to lose (Saturday's game to Ottawa). If you win that game, you've got a pretty good homestand going. That's important for us.
“We want to make sure we finish as high as possible. I've said these next chunk of games is a way that we could make sure our identity is intact and we can at least leave the season knowing that, “OK, this is the way we've got to play.'”
It doesn't appear as if Logan Couture was seriously hurt on Sunday as Boughner expressed optimism that his No. 1 centerman would be available Wednesday when his team plays the Chicago Blackhawks. The Sharks had the day off Monday and are scheduled to have a short practice today before they leave for Chicago.
That was perhaps the one piece of good news for the Sharks to come out of the loss, their third straight by one goal as they concluded the homestand with a 3-2-1 record.
Couture was struck in the side of the head by a puck midway through the first period and did not return. Boughner said Couture went through the NHL's concussion protocol.
The Sharks' game Wednesday is the first of a four-game road trip that continues against St. Louis, Dallas and the Avalanche — the top three teams in the Central Division.
Considering the way the Sharks' last road trip went, it might be a challenge for them just to avoid falling into last place in the division. The Sharks went 0-4-0 in games against New Jersey, the New York Rangers and New York Islanders, and Philadelphia Flyers late last month, scoring just six goals in the process.
The Sharks entered
Monday in sixth place in the Pacific with 63 points, just three points ahead of the suddenly hot Los Angeles Kings. who have gone 8-2-1 since Feb. 12.
Of the Sharks' 13 remaining games, eight are on the road. They only face three opponents — Montreal, Los Angeles and Anaheim — who are completely out of the running for a playoff spot, although Chicago is barely hanging on.
The Kings, meanwhile, are playing the third game of an eight-game homestand Monday night against the Avalanche.
They have just five road games remaining.
“Of course, it's not about wins and losses right now at this point of the season in the standings,” Boughner said. “But for us as a team, playing well and competing and playing against these best teams, I think that's important for our young guys to see, and when they come back, they're going to be fighting for jobs and will know exactly how they have to play.”
The Sharks haven't finished last in the Pacific Division since 2003, the last year they made an in-season
coaching change. Darryl Sutter was fired after an 8-12-2-2 start, and Ron Wilson, who took over after Cap Raeder coached one game in the interim, went 19-25-7-6 for the rest of the season.
That year, the Sharks finished 25th out of 30 teams, and would go on to draft Milan Michalek sixth overall in the first round.
The Sharks won the division the next season, later advancing to the Western Conference final.
With the Sharks' first round pick this year already owned by the Senators, it makes no sense for San Jose to tank. But with a decent finish, perhaps they can stay out of the basement and their young player can figure out what will help them be successful going forward.
“When they come back, they're going to be fighting for jobs and will know exactly how they have to play, and if I'm here, the expectations that I have, and what I see the game as,” Boughner said.
• Sharks general manager Doug Wilson crossed off an item on his to-do list, officially signing defenseman
Radim Simek to a four-year contract extension.
The deal, which came together earlier this month, has an average annual value of $2.25 million, a source confirmed.
Simek, who first signed with the Sharks in May 2017 and was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, has 18 points in 88 games since the start of last season.
Simek missed the first month of this regular season after knee surgery.