The San Jose Sharks were hoping for a response Friday after they were blown out the night before by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
And at least from an engagement standpoint, the Sharks appeared to make some strides at PNC Arena against the Carolina Hurricanes.
But that first win of the season remained elusive — as did finding the back of the net — as the Sharks allowed a Teuvo Teravainen hat trick in a 3-0 loss to the Hurricanes to drop their record this season to 0-7-1.
The Sharks end their five-game road trip on Sunday against the Washington Capitals, desperate for a victory to avoid bringing this albatross back home to San Jose.
“I don’t care where we go or when we play it, we need a win,” Sharks coach David Quinn said. “Sunday’s the next game and we’re going to get a day off (Saturday) and regroup, physically and mentally, and be ready to win a hockey game.
“It’s going to happen. I thought we took a good step forward today and if we make the next step forward, I like our chances on Sunday.”
The Sharks gave up a power play goal to Teravainen at the 6:10 mark of the first, and an even-strength marker to the Hurricanes forward with 4:50 before the intermission after a failed clearing attempt.
Teravainen completed the hat trick at the 6:06 mark of the third period, a deflating goal considering the Sharks had generated some scoring chances near the end of the second period and into the third. Both Mike Hoffman and Nico Sturm hit posts with their respective shots, and San Jose also went 0-for-2 on the power play.
Adding in their 3-1 loss to the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, and Thursday’s 6-0 throttling at the hands of the Lightning, the Sharks have given up 12 straight goals, something the franchise hasn’t experienced since Feb. 13-17, 2007.
The Sharks have now gone 151:30 without a goal. The team record is 190:22, which took place over that time frame in 2007.
In other words, goalie Kaapo Kahkonen had the same experience as Mackenzie Blackwood from the night before with zero run support. Kahkonen made 37 saves.
The Sharks were furious with themselves after Thursday’s result, in which they didn’t compete hard enough and allowed too much time and space to the Lightning’s playmakers. Quinn said the Sharks weren’t trusting each other enough to be in the right places on the ice.
“All you can do is what you’re supposed to do, and if everybody on the ice has that mentality, then all of a sudden people start trusting each other more,” Quinn said. “But unfortunately, what has crept in with us is guys are hesitant to do what they’re supposed to do because they’re not sure someone else is going to do what they should be doing.
“When you get to that situation, things become dangerous and you get a game like we had last night. That’s what we’ve got to get away from. We’ve got to get back to playing with a certain attitude and playing with conviction and doing what we’re supposed to do through all three zones.”
Quinn made some lineup changes Friday, as Ryan Carpenter, who spent the first four-plus years of his professional career with the Sharks organization, took the roster spot of Thomas Bordeleau. Quinn also dressed Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who had been a scratch the last two games, instead of Matt Benning, who was scratched with a minor lower-body ailment, Quinn said.
NOTE: Injured center Mikael Granlund could be in the lineup against the Capitals, Quinn said. Granlund, who has dealt with a lower-body injury and hasn’t played since the Sharks’ Oct. 12 season-opener, had what was described as a minor setback earlier this week as he was preparing to play the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.
But Granlund has been feeling better due to what Quinn said was a “different approach to his treatments.”
“And they’ve worked very well,” Quinn said Friday before the game.
If the Sharks do activate Granlund off injured reserve, they’ll have to make a corresponding move. San Jose is already at the 23-man roster limit.
Still, the Sharks will take any type of encouraging news they can get right now. Captain Logan Couture hasn’t played all season with a lower-body injury, and winger Alexander Barabanov was sent back to San Jose on Thursday to have his broken finger examined by a specialist.
Barabanov, the Sharks’ fifth-leading scorer last season with 47 points, is considered week-to-week. Quinn said he didn’t have a health update on Couture.
Source: www.mercurynews.com