Maybe Sharks Aren’t Bad, They’re Just Average

LOS ANGELES — The San Jose Sharks were unable to build off the momentum from their back-to-back victories against the Anaheim Ducks and Arizona Coyotes, dropping a 3-2 shootout decision to the Los Angeles Kings last night.

On the bright side, it’s San Jose’s fourth-straight game with a point, but on the flipside, they couldn’t sustain the strong puck management that they showed against cellar-dwellers Anaheim and Arizona versus elevated competition in Los Angeles. That’s not a great sign moving forward for a Sharks squad that’s trying to get out of the cellar themselves.

In lieu of an article about the game — I’m driving from Los Angeles to SAP Center for the second leg of the San Jose Sharks’ back-to-back tonight against the Calgary Flames, so time is limited — I recorded a Twitter Spaces on my drive where I shared my thoughts about how much onus that stars like Timo Meier and Erik Karlsson should bear for San Jose’s inability to manage the puck.

I also took a question on if the San Jose Sharks will be able to trade Kevin Labanc now that he’s scoring.

https://t.co/8oVI0MJtC5

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) December 18, 2022