This sums up last night’s game between the San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks:
That was ugly. Nothing else to say about it.
— Nothing to Fear the Fin (@fearthefin) November 3, 2019
It has become more and more of the same for the Sharks on Saturday night against the Vancouver Canucks. The same things that lead to the Sharks giving up goals against the Winnipeg Jets the previous night, were again what cost them last night.
The game was a balanced affair between the two teams over the whole 60 minutes with almost even corsi, scoring chances, and close expected goals; but the score tells more of the story of the game.
Things started off with the Brandon Sutter goal five minutes in, after the Sharks weren’t able to clear the puck following a giveaway by Aaron Dell. It continued with weak goals and mental mistakes and then a third goal that I don’t know how to describe.
The @Jake_Virtanen goal. It went in, trust us. 🔍🕵️♂️🧐 pic.twitter.com/j4JiiIJCW8
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) November 3, 2019
The puck went in when Dell slid his leg over the goal line and that is when the Sharks’ play really went down hill for half the period.
There was a little bit of positivity in the game when Marc-Edouard Vlasic scored shorthanded on a great pass from Barclay Goodrow.
On the board thanks to some Pickle power!@Vlasic44 | #SJSharks pic.twitter.com/FvRKV1hJwu
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) November 3, 2019
But with the Sharks, when something good happens, something bad is sure to follow. The Canucks scored less then two minutes later, sealing the fate for the Sharks. Evander Kane scored late to make the final 5-2, but the Sharks were already too far behind for the goal to count for much.
Goaltending was the biggest issue last year when it come to the Sharks, and unfortunately it doesn’t seem like the situation is getting any better. Dell had his struggles in net tonight, seeming frustrated both during and after the game. Though the loss is not all Dell’s fault, it is really showing that the Sharks need an upgrade at the goaltending position. The game was ugly and the goals were ugly; showing something needs to change.
The only positives from the past five games seem to be small. At times the Sharks look good, but then it seems to be the same story again and again; mistakes and mental lapses seem too again cost the Sharks. Logan Couture put it the best way after the game:
Couture, on #SJSharks lack of confidence: “We need to get that swagger, that confidence back, that we’ve had here for so many years. It’s tough when you’re losing. It’s very, very difficult to feel confident when you got the puck to make that play when you got the extra second.” pic.twitter.com/wxgWQWwxtn
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 3, 2019
I said at the beginning of the losing streak against the Toronto Maple Leafs that something needs to change. Radim Simek will be coming back soon, but that is something that is not going to fix the Sharks’ problems in total. It will help, but something else needs to happen and the Sharks need to figure it out, as the clock is ticking on it being too little, too late.
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