San Jose Sharks must regain their confidence after ugly road trip

The San Jose Sharks have yet to put together a winning formula through the first quarter of the season, leaving little to suggest they can contend for a Stanley Cup.

Recent letdowns by the San Jose Sharks likely left nothing but disgust on the face of general manager Doug Wilson, who accompanied the team on the last road trip.

Lackluster efforts were put together against the Las Vegas Golden Knights, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Ottawa Senators, creating the need for a meeting before a matchup with the Montreal Canadiens to conclude the road stand.

Martin Jones is undoubtedly the undisputed starter at goalie. His performances have not been stellar on a consistent basis. Due to his shaky outings, Sharks’ head coach Peter DeBoer chose to send a message after the Thanksgiving break.

DeBoer gave Aaron Dell the start against Vancouver with the notion Jones would be in the crease the following night against Vegas. After an easy win over the Canucks, Dell ended up getting the call to the face the Golden Nights.

If DeBoer was trying to send a message to Jones to start playing better, the plan backfired. Dell got hung out to dry in an embarrassing 6-0 loss to the Golden Knights. They were looking for payback after losing to the Knights during the 2018 playoffs, but the Sharks failed miserably.

San Jose played a spirited contest against the Buffalo Sabres, managing to come back from a two-goal deficit courtesy of Joe Pavelski. A costly turnover in overtime, though, gave the Sabres their tenth-consecutive victory and put the Sharks in an even deeper hole.

Strong starts are a problem for the Sharks this season. San Jose often finds itself in an early deficit and has to play catch-up. Against the offensive-minded Maple Leafs, the Sharks quickly fell behind early as result of special teams.

Former Shark, Patrick Marleau, got a power play goal which ended up being the game winner. Marleau is the only NHL player to score against all 31 clubs and 30 game-winning goals against the opposition.

More frustration to San Jose came with a fourth-straight loss in Erik Karlsson’s return to Ottawa.

After the first quarter of games this season, San Jose is nowhere near showing signs of being legit Stanley Cup contenders. Karlsson and Evander Kane were expected to be the missing pieces to finish the Sharks’ playoff puzzle. So far, the adjustment period is still an ongoing process.

Emotions are getting the best of Kane after being tossed from the game in Vegas. DeBoer also got ejected after questionable officiating in the matchup. Calls were one-sided in favor of the home team. Eventually, penalties evened out but the damage was done.

Risk did come with Kane, having a past of altercations in Winnipeg and Buffalo that often rubbed his teammates the wrong way. Regardless of his run-ins, Kane is a pure goal scorer and got rewarded with a seven-year deal in the offseason.

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Kane expects to pot 30 goals this season, but his production is currently in a slump. He is producing quality scoring chances and must continue to battle, and the points will follow.

Karlsson’s adjustment period finally appears to be over as the defenseman is starting to get on the scoresheet frequently. The power play is an ongoing work in progress, but Karlsson is finding chemistry with Brent Burns, both offensive-minded defensive stalwarts.

For the Sharks, players must be aware of when Karlsson has the puck and to be ready to receive a pass. He wants to attack quickly, and most attempts get broken up as his teammates simply aren’t prepared.

Overall, in regards to DeBoer’s logic and the goaltending, his message was off the mark. The Sharks have not played well in front of Jones most of the year. Defensive breakdowns and being out of position have cost the Sharks heavily far too often.

A point can be made in the game against Toronto with Dell between the pipes. The Sharks played poorly in front of Dell and could not get back into the game. To say Jones is at fault is nowhere close to accurate as the team in whole is out of sync.

Fortunately, the Pacific Division is wide open and the recent slide by the Sharks did not plummet them to the bottom of the standings.

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December is an important month for the Sharks to separate from the pack in the Pacific Division. Hopefully, the lack of confidence from the latest road swing is in the past. An opportunity to reassert themselves as contenders will unfold before the new year.

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