Sharks Locker Room: Quinn Addresses Job Security After 0-10-1 Start

The San Jose Sharks are setting all the wrong kinds of records.

Embarrassed again, this time by Erik Karlsson and the Pittsburgh Penguins 10-2, the Sharks have now given up 20 goals in two games, which ties a club record for most goals allowed in a two-game span. This follows a 10-1 drubbing at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night.

This tilt started off well enough, at least by Sharks standards this season.

After two periods, they were down 2-0, but had generated some scoring chances and had defended reasonably well. Per SPORTLOGiQ, they were down 3-1 High-Danger Scoring Chances at Even Strength.

But in a 1:05 span early in the middle frame, they gave up two quick goals to Jake Guentzel and Vinnie Hinostroza.

“I liked our first period. Then all of a sudden, we became a different team. That’s what happened in the game. They kept playing the same way. We give up the third goal and we’re a fragile group,” San Jose Sharks head coach David Quinn said.

High-Danger Scoring Chances at Even Strength after the first period? Pittsburgh 21, San Jose 4.

Anthony Duclair and Jacob MacDonald scored in a losing cause.

“I don’t really care,” a quiet Duclair said. “We gave up 20 goals in two games.”

Magnus Chrona did make his NHL debut, stopping 13 of 17 shots.

Anyway, in 1992-93, their sophomore season, the Sharks gave up 20 goals in two games, seven against the Minnesota North Stars on Feb. 3, 1993 and 13 against the Calgary Flames on Feb. 10. That year, San Jose won just 11 games, a franchise-low.

The 0-10-1 Sharks are well on their way to that “standard”. 11 losses to start the season ties an ignominious NHL record, set by the 1943-44 New York Rangers, 2017-18 Arizona Coyotes, and 2021-22 Coyotes.

“If you just look at some of the guys we have, we haven’t played a lot of NHL hockey. That’s the situation we’re in, right? Guys trying to prove and establish themselves. We all acknowledged that before the season started,” Quinn said. “I know you want to keep asking me about my job security and all that. Maybe it’s in a reporter’s guide, that’s what you’re supposed to ask the coach after two games like this, but gimme a break.”

San Jose will have to live with this loss until Tuesday, when the Philadelphia Flyers come to town.

After the game, Quinn addressed his job security. Duclair talked about the team’s “non-existent sometimes” battle. Mario Ferraro admitted that the Sharks are feeling the weight of this losing streak. Mikael Granlund discussed where the team is mentally.

David Quinn

Quinn, on why the coaching staff’s message isn’t manifesting itself on the ice:

I liked our first period. Then all of a sudden, we became a different team. That’s what happened in the game. They kept playing the same way. We give up the third goal and we’re a fragile group.

Quinn, on if it’s the same problem that the San Jose Sharks players want to get out of this slump so bad, they start to do their own thing:

It’s exactly what it is.

Quinn, on if he has any concern about his own or his coaching staff’s job security:

No, no…I guess it’s an obvious question…I don’t think about that for two seconds. I got a job to do.

Quinn, on if the team is pissed off enough:

We were ready to play. I mean it was a pretty good first period for us. I’d be a lot more concerned if we weren’t. We’re just not a mentally tough group right now.

Quinn, on if it’s surprising how things went awry for the San Jose Sharks in the second period:

If you just look at some of the guys we have, we haven’t played a lot of NHL hockey. That’s the situation we’re in, right? Guys trying to prove and establish themselves. We all acknowledged that before the season started. That’s the situation we’re in.

I know you want to keep asking me about my job security and all that. Maybe it’s in a reporter’s guide, that’s what you’re supposed to ask the coach after two games like this, but gimme a break.

Anthony Duclair

Duclair, on if guys were doing their own thing, getting away from the game plan after the first period:

We just gotta be stronger on pucks. I think we’re losing way too many battles. It’s just way too easy for opposing teams coming in here. Especially in front of our fans. I think our battle level is just non-existent sometimes. It’s just costing us.

Duclair, on any personal satisfaction from scoring:

I don’t really care. We gave up 20 goals in two games.

Duclair, on if the coaching staff’s message is still impacting the locker room:

I don’t know what else the coaches can do. It’s on us. They’re doing a great job motivating us and getting us ready for the games. The game plan is the game plan. We just gotta follow it. Right now, as players, we’re not following it.

Duclair, on why the battle is non-existent at times:

I don’t know. Trying to figure it out. If nobody is pissed off right now, there’s a problem. You should be coming in every game motivated and ready to go right off the puck drop and that’s two games in a row now, we’re just giving up two quick ones and just fragile right now.

Duclair, on if the San Jose Sharks are pissed off enough right now:

Should be. Should be.

Mario Ferraro

Ferraro, on the coaching staff’s message through these two recent losses:

We’re all trying to make a difference individually and we’re getting away from the game plan in doing so. A couple of times tonight, myself included, we just stepped away from the game plan and it hurt us.

We’re all trying to turn this around but it’s too much at times, right? We just gotta stick to our jobs and trust everybody else to do their job. We haven’t been doing that.

Ferraro, on why everyone’s focusing on doing things on their own:

I think we’re feeling the pressure. We want to get this first win and go from there and continue to build on it. It’s human nature to want to make a difference and I think it’s gotten into our mind of what we’re all supposed to do as individuals.

Ferraro, on how his own sense of optimism has been tested by these two losses:

I’m gonna show up again tomorrow, and I’ll be ready to work. It sucks, it stinks, but I ain’t giving up, nobody in this room is.

We’ve got a lot of work to do, face the reality. There are worse things out there in life, so we’re gonna come back tomorrow, keep working and turn this thing around.”

Mikael Granlund

Granlund, on if the confidence of the team is affected:

20 goals in two games. That’s where we are at right now. There’s a lot of work to do.

Granlund, on if allowing one goal after another is a mental problem at this point:

I’m sure it’s mental. It’s everything. There’s a lot of things we need to clear. A lot of them. We gotta get back at it. This is where we are at, and we need to get better.

Granlund, on if the coaching staff’s message is still resonating:

We try to do our best right now. Nothing is really going for us. There’s no magic out of this, so we just need to show up for the next game and try to do this better.

Granlund, on if he’s ever experienced anything like this:

No.

Special thanks to Nikita Sokolov for his transcription help.