Slow start, sloppy play dooms Sharks in loss to desperate Rangers
SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks can play spoiler over the final two-plus weeks of the regular season with a handful of their remaining opponents still vying for a playoff spot or jockeying for a better position.
It certainly didn’t happen on Saturday, as the desperate New York Rangers taught the Sharks’ remarkably young lineup a hard lesson.
The Sharks allowed two goals to Artemi Panarin in the first period and another to Adam Fox in the second and never recovered in a 6-1 loss to the Rangers before an announced sellout crowd of 17,435 at SAP Center.
Cam Lund, playing in his second NHL game, provided San Jose’s lone highlight as he scored his first NHL goal with 2:15 left in the third period to help the Sharks avoid the shutout.
Goalie Alexandar Georgiev stopped just 19 of the first 24 shots he faced, with Fox and ex-Shark Jonny Brodzinski scoring on back-to-back shots in the third period to secure the Rangers’ win.
But Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky wasn’t going to pin Saturday’s result on just his goalie, as the Sharks took a decided step back from how they played in wins over the Boston Bruins last week and the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.
“I would say our young players had young games tonight,” Warsofsky said of the Sharks, who dressed eight rookies against the Rangers.
Puck management issues plagued the Sharks, who gave Panarin too much time and space on his first two goals, which came 1:54 apart and provided the Rangers a 2-0 lead.
Mostly, though, the pace and compete the Sharks displayed in their 6-5 win over Toronto on Thursday were absent, as they ended their eight-game homestand with a 3-5-0 record.
“We just got away from the way we need to play,” Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro said. “It’s a very fine line for us right now. It’s pretty obvious from the two games that we played well the things that we were doing to be successful, and tonight was just not one of those nights.
“There was nobody playing the right way tonight, so I hope it’s a lesson learned. We have played better hockey, but that’s a team trying to make the playoffs right now. I really felt like we just gave them two points.”
The Sharks added some big bodies to their lineup at the NHL trade deadline, but they didn’t play big Saturday. Not even close.
“We’ve got size,” Warsofsky said, “but if we don’t use it, what’s the point of it?. We’ve got to be more physically engaged, that’s for sure.”
“Weren’t hard enough, weren’t competing hard enough, weren’t playing smart enough,” Ferraro said. “Neutral zone play, O-zone play, blind plays just hurt us tonight.”
The Sharks were long ago eliminated from playoff contention, but they still have the opportunity to spoil the postseason hopes — or affect the playoff seeding — of their opposition as they finish the regular season.
But they could not slow down the Rangers, who now have 77 points, two more than the Montreal Canadiens and Columbus Blue Jackets. Those three teams, and others, are competiong for the second and final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Of San Jose’s 10 remaining games, eight are against teams trying to clinch a playoff spot or earn a better position. Three come against the Edmonton Oilers, who want to secure second place in the Pacific Division for home ice advantage in the first round.
The Sharks’ opponent on Sunday, the Los Angeles Kings, is in second place in the Pacific.
Two other Sharks’ games are against the Calgary Flames, and one more is against the Minnesota Wild. Both teams are still trying to lock down postseason berths.
Saturday’s loss also kept the Sharks in 32nd place in the NHL’s overall standings. San Jose still has 49 points, two fewer than Chicago, which has nine games left.
Whichever team finishes with the NHL’s worst record will have a 25.5% chance of winning the draft lottery in May. The team that finishes 31st will have a 13.5% chance of winning the lottery.
The Sharks finished in last place last season, won the lottery, and selected Macklin Celebrini, now their top-line centerman, first overall. The top player available in this year’s draft is widely believed to be Erie Otters defenseman Matthew Schaefer.