Sharks Locker Room: San Jose’s Playoff Hopes Going Gentle Into That Good Night?

DENVER — “Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”

“We’ll light the fire during break and then we’ll come ready to rage in the second half.”

Poet Dylan Thomas and new San Jose Sharks winger Kiefer Sherwood are of the same mind.

The Sharks lost 4-2 at the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday, and go into the Olympic break on a four-game swoon. They’re now five points out of the last wild card berth in the Western Conference.

But it’s not the defeat itself that was so disappointing — Colorado, after all, is the best team in the NHL — it’s how San Jose lost.

Through two periods, the Sharks were completely outclassed, outshot 31-13, down only 2-0 because of Yaroslav Askarov’s heroics. It was JV versus varsity.

“When you’re in a rut like we’re in, you tend to really lean on not making a mistake to cost your team. And I think individuals didn’t want to make a mistake,” head coach Ryan Warsofsky said of San Jose’s passive first two periods. “Next thing you know, you’re not making the right play.”

So now, instead of a triumphant road trip before the Olympic break to solidify their hold of a playoff berth, the Sharks are sputtering, 1-3-1 in their last five.

“The break couldn’t come at a better time for us,” Warsofsky admitted.

The question is, how will San Jose finish the season? They’ve got 27 games to get themselves back into the playoff race, beginning on Feb. 26 against the Calgary Flames.

Will they “rage” against their now-flickering playoff hopes? Or go gentle into that good night?

This is a test for second-year bench boss Warsofsky, and he knows it.

“Screaming and yelling, sometimes works, sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes you got to hug them a little bit, show them some love. We’re trying to find that balance [with] this group,” he said. “It’s up to myself to really find what makes this group tick. I got to do a job here, coming up in these last 27 games, to get our guys in the right mind-set for games.”

That means staying where your feet are, which the Sharks failed to do on this road trip.

“We got to get back to just competing and playing, and stop worrying about the standings, stop scoreboard-watching. Just play. We just got to play,” Warsofsky said. “Let’s just see where the chips lie at the end of it.”

Ryan Warsofsky

Warsofsky, on improving the San Jose Sharks’ power play:

That will be a big project we look into on this break.

Warsofsky, on Askarov’s 38-save performance:

Big growth moment. I think that’s the big headline of this game is how much he grew…

It’s a young player that’s going through the first time of the National Hockey League, the grind of it, the mental grind of this schedule, and being the guy to be the guy every single night. You got to be mentally dialed in and focused.

Philipp Kurashev

Kurashev, on what happened the first two periods to the San Jose Sharks:

We weren’t playing with too much confidence. Going into the third, we just wanted to go and play our game, play with confidence.

Yaroslav Askarov

Askarov, on the San Jose Sharks’ 1-3-1 road trip:

Probably we could be better on this trip, but overall, it’s okay. We still have, how many, 27 games? Gonna get some good break, good rest, and be ready for rest of the season. This is our goal. Keep foot on the gas.

Kiefer Sherwood

Sherwood, on having the Olympic break here, instead of a game in a couple days:

Our team needs a break. Obviously comes at a good time. I know that was my first game, so obviously, wish we had more. We’ll light the fire during the break, and then we’ll come ready to rage in the second half.