The Sharks’ frustrations at SAP Center this season reached new heights with Thursday’s 2-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings.
The Sharks put 36 shots on the Detroit net and received a relatively solid performance from goalie Martin Jones. But they failed to capitalise on consecutive scoring chances in the third period and gave up the eventual winning goal to the Red Wings’ Justin Abdelkader with 6:52 left in the third.
“That’s the way things are going right now,” Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said. “We have to be resilient and know that if we play that way over the long term, that we’ll be all right.”
Unlike other losses on this homestand to Colorado where they gave up four power-play goals, and to Winnipeg, where they simply didn’t compete hard enough, the Sharks did a lot of the things they sought out to do against the Red Wings.
It still wasn’t enough to prevent a third loss in four games, as the Sharks fell to an inexplicable 5-12-0 at home this season. Although the Sharks have games in hand on every team they’re chasing in the Pacific Division, they remain in sixth place, six points back of the second-place Arizona Coyotes.
Little wonder, then, that Joe Thornton picked up a double minor for roughing and a 10-minute misconduct for getting in a couple haymakers on the Red Wings’ Luke Glendening after time expired in the third period.
“A little frustration,” DeBoer said of the postgame get-together. “You expect that. Guys are (ticked) off. They deserved better tonight. We didn’t get it, and that’s just the rut we’re in right now. We have to keep pushing until we get out of it.”
The Sharks had two solid scoring chances before Abdelkader’s goal. Tomas Hertl created a turnover behind the Red Wings’ net and passed to Joonas Donskoi, whose quick shot from in close went off the goal post.
Roughly a minute later inside the Detroit zone, Patrick Marleau tipped a puck to Joel Ward, who tried a forehand-to-backhand deke. But Red Wings goalie Petr Mrazek reached back to make a magnificent save.
Detroit went ahead shortly after, as a Jones rebound came right to Abdelkader, whose slap shot got past the Sharks goalie for a 2-1 Wings lead.
“That one hurt,” Sharks centre Logan Couture said of the Abdelkader goal. “I hate to say that’s the way it’s going right now, but that’s the way it’s going. They make a big save, get the puck out to one of their guys who’s walking into a slap shot. He makes a good shot, so it’s frustrating.”
The Sharks finish their five-game homestand today against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Since February 2015, the Sharks were 0-17-1, and 0-11 this season, when they allowed the first goal at home. So it wasn’t a good sign for San Jose when a wrist shot from Danny DeKeyser on an odd-man rush beat Jones high on the glove hand side for a 1-0 Red Wings lead 9:16 into the first period.
The Sharks got that goal back 1:41 later, as Ward redirected a shot from the point by Brent Burns past Mrazek. The play was set up after Couture won a faceoff with Henrik Zetterberg.
Jones was otherwise solid for three periods, as he finished with 23 saves, including 11 in the first period.
The Sharks were coming off one of their longest breaks of the season, as they had been idle since their 4-1 loss to the Jets on Saturday in what was easily one of their worst performances of the season. The Sharks felt they had a productive three days of practice since that loss, the last time this season they’ll have that much practice time between games.
nGoalie Alex Stalock was recalled from the AHL after two impressive games with the Barracuda and will likely be used by the Sharks on a more regular basis as they enter a busy portion of their schedule.
Stalock, 28, went 2-0 with a 1.96 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage in two games with the Barracuda. The Sharks play 10 more games before their All-Star break begins Jan. 26, including back-to-back games Monday and Tuesday against Calgary and Winnipeg. They also play on consecutive nights Jan. 23-24 against Minnesota and Los Angeles.