San Jose Sharks
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.
Ugh – “It’s up to myself…”. Dude, speak at least third grade English. You are talking to the press.
We all know he should have said “It’s up to me, myself, and I” but we know junior hockey prevents kids from doing a lot of their reading assignments
You seem to need the upcoming break as well; stop overreacting. What about when he phrases something cleverly? Do you ever mention that?
Wasn’t he about to say “…and the coaching staff”? But decided to put the weight on himself as good head coaches should.
As for the power play, he does a lot of good things in other areas but while everyone has keyed on Klingberg, Wennberg has no business out there and has been PP1 all year. He’s not a dynamic offensive player.
With the current roster it should be Misa and Smith and Sherwood up front with Orlov and Celebrini.
And Warsovsky’s project is complete. But he’ll make it harder and not do that, because for some reason a team in this position has a coach who hates kids who don’t project to 140 points and aren’t that guy’s TikTok pal.
What? Are we watching the same team?
Huh? Do you even notice that Wenny is one of the few to consistently create screens in front of the net? He is a finesse player, get used to it.
Not a big fan of Wennberg on PP1. Until recently, there wasn’t a better alternative. There is now. Prefer Regenda for that net front stuff. He already has 4 PP goals, Wennberg has 5.
Wennberg is pretty crafty, but Regenda is bigger, stronger and more effective.
Macklin, Smith, Regenda, Orlov and the best puck retrieval guy — probably Graf or Sherwood. If Eklund ever gets his scoring touch back, he’d also be a consideration.
Regenda or now Sherwood. Or better yet, Guadette who seemed to make a living there the last couple seasons in Ottawa.
I do kinda like the idea of Regenda at the front of the net on a line with a goal-scorer like Gaudette.
What??
https://youtu.be/uq-v1TTUyhM?si=tiqgiqUAML4H3vAl
Honestly yeah
worst possible outcome , no playoffs and top second half position
I understand the point you’re making, but that isn’t the worst possible outcome. Another year without winning culture and being unable to compete against 90% of teams in the league would have been worst possible outcome I think
Definitely agree. Don’t forget that Mack and Will and other talents are not married to the Sharks. They have plenty of options in the league and will be welcomed in every team.
Agreed. Just missing the playoffs is probably good for them to make them hurt over the summer and work even harder next season. It’s never great if it’s too easy early.
Such a bummer of a way to head into the break. If we had held it down in Edmonton and stomped Chicago this roadie would’ve been considered a big success. Now it feels like we have simply regressed to the mean. Our defense is also terrible and needs to be completely overhauled. Wish Dickinson and Iorio were out there over Klingberg and Lily. Instead we give the kid some games off for a reset and lose Vinny to NYR. Hoping we make some smart moves at the deadline to address the back end and really get after it in the… Read more »
Nah, cheer up. Look how much better the Sharks are than the last 2 seasons. It’s just going to take more time rebuilding the team than many of us have hoped for. We’re impatient and some of it is based on lack of talent and upgrading our D to the industry standard, so to speak. GM has the right idea but we’ll see if he can pull off any moves that are difference makers. Getting Mack at #1 in the draft was a no brainer. Anyone could have done that. Now he’s got to find complementary pieces and burgeoning stars.… Read more »
Hope they get a Cup or two for you Jeff ✨
For all of us 🦈
You’re 80? Ok now it all makes more sense.
great comment BTW. Probably my favorite of yours ever.
Makes no sense to me!
Well said! Sharks are gonna win it for you and all the other lifelong fans!
I guess I’m coming off as entitled but we have endured and have felt significant pain (that WCF where we got swept by CHI still burns like an old love lost) I think WillMac will be a key factor in the championship as will Misa/Igor (as I think we will see that magic fully unfold next year) Yaro will turn into officer bob Graf becomes the second coming of pavs Eklund maxes out his potential (assuming he sticks around which I hope he does) The defense needs a lot of work but I think we will get there/them (don’t count… Read more »
Thanks Jeff, my post wasn’t exactly cheery to be sure but I am actually very excited by the progress made this season as a whole so far. Like most others, a taste of the playoffs would be icing on the cake.
A total revamp of the defense is unlikely. But I am positive by next season it will be better as this defense is better than last season. i believe GMMG will get one defenseman by the TDL if there is a defenseman available that fits GMMG’s requirements. Possibly another in the offseason. He stated he expects Muk, Dickinson and Orlov on the team next season. i also think Desharnais is playing himself into an extension. That’s four already. If he lands two before next season that’s six. NHL teams typically carry seven during a season so that leaves one slot… Read more »
I hope next season they exceed expectations for you. I am older also, so the sooner the better!
I think now is the perfect time to underreact actually… Right after Christmas, I posted somewhere about this brutal stretch of schedule with a tough home stand, back to backs up the wazoo, and a long roadie and I was worried that the team would get absolutely buried in the standings. I was genuinely worried they might win 3 or 4 games between Xmas and the break, and they won 10. Yeah, this final stretch of 10 crappy periods is a downer, but it is nothing some rest can’t cure. This team isn’t good enough to go into any game… Read more »
Their last 15 before the break were awful. They needed to go .500 in those games, and they did. It’s a bummer that they blew the advantage they had there, and lost to Chicago and Calgary. But this team was always going to need to string together wins during the soft post-break schedule. They still have that opportunity, and the lightest remaining schedule in the league.
In regulation, the Sharks have won 16, lost 24 and tied 15. Its not a good record, but it is an improvement. The greatness of Macklin and the success in the extra time stuff, 11-4 to date, has covered up a lot of issues. The weakness of the West beyond the top few teams furthers the illusion. Playoffs wouldn’t look realistic if the Sharks were in the East, or if this was a normal year in the West. Or put another way, the team tied with the league’s 24th best record probably shouldn’t be a playoff contender. The youth is,… Read more »
It’s a weird year. Let’s have fun with it. None of us thought we’d be having anything remotely like this conversation right now. Ironically, this is exactly the position I thought we’d be in vis a vis the rest of the league, but I absolutely did not expect the playoffs to be any possibility whatsoever. It’s also true that a lot of the teams the Sharks have remaining on the schedule could sell assets by the deadline and be even worse when they meet the Sharks. As for what Grier should do, I think it’s clear this isn’t actually a… Read more »
Exactly. I thought if everything went perfect they would be in the playoff conversation and everything has definitely not gone perfect. I’m excited for the next 8 months because there are likely big changes coming to the blue line. Also I expect more youth forcing their way onto the big club.
I hope you’re right about the defense but my expectation is an improvement but nothing super drastic.
I think he’s adding two to the defense by next season via trade and maybe one comes up from the Cuda.
Two to three new faces is a lot for a defense in any season as it takes a while to integrate them.
Getting one defenseman at the TDL would alleviate this quite a bit.
Gonna be fun to see what happens.
I think they add at least one good and one semi great defenseman sometime before next season.
I agree. Hopefully both a RDs. I like having Muk and Dickinson moving forward (statement of the obvious) and do not mind Orlov for one more season as I am hoping Dickinson develops enough to unseat him as the top LD. Orlov (I hope) then moves to a middle pair role until Muk takes that job. Cags/Allan are bringing up the rear and may get games next season and (cross my fingers) one of them becomes a full time NHLer the season after as Orlov rides into the sunset. At that point Wallenius should be in his professional North American… Read more »
I don’t know why, but I’m thinking that Orlov has diminished quite far from his stellar start to this season. He doesn’t look the same to me and his mistake level has gone up when watched closely. Can someone explain it to me?
You better be prepared to part ways with something more valuable than William Eklund for that bounty.
Exactly!
I’m not sure it’s actually going to happen but Edmonton is just barely hanging on to a playoff spot right now. There’s a non-zero chance that Edmonton’s pick ends up in the lottery which I don’t think anyone would have anticipated.
Puckpedia says its top-12 protected
“if the selection is in the Top 12, Edmonton may choose to transfer their 2027 first round selection to San Jose instead. Should Edmonton choose to trade their 2027 first round selection prior to the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline, their 2026 first round selection will transfer to San Jose, unconditionally.”
Correct but there are 4 lottery picks that don’t fall into that protection. If we could get a 13-16th pick from Edmonton it would be pretty awesome.
I wouldn’t be too surprised if they trade their 2027 1st at the TDL. It’s cup or bust for that organization.
Ned would be an upgrade …
I kinda hope the Sharks just re-sign him. I think with a better defense in front of him he’d be a pretty good 1b.
Right now, he’s more 1A.
I’d be fine if the Sharks kept him. He’s a legit NHL goalie and the sort a team needs if they’re not going to burn out a starter. With 84 games next season, a good 1b gets 30-35 starts.
The near-term pipeline isn’t much to look at — though I’d have like to see Matt Davis get a real chance. Best as I can tell, that’s not happening
I agree. Most likely Ned gets extended.
Hmmm
Edmonton is under intense pressure to win given the short-term contract McDavid signed. Pretty decent chance they use that first to try and improve the team, thus wiping away the protection. They aren’t really in a position to explain to McDavid that they’re not sure the team is a true contender and they will therefore hold on to that pick.
I’m so stoked on the Sharks!!!! I live and breath Sharks hockey, and I’m so happy that the team is watchable and entertaining again. This new era of Sharks hockey feels so validating and rewarding, and it’ll probably continue for another decade or more!!
Thank you to all of you fellow Sharks fans for supporting the team!
Yea, one note is that the Cuda have won 4 straight and look to be primed for the playoffs in the AHL. Would like to see them have a long run. this season was one to get out of hte bottom and as you said, be entertaining again. The tank is hopping again and the vibe there is so much better than has been since 2019. Just being in the playoff discussion is a huge step for this team, and who knows, go on a run after the Olympics and they may still make it.
Love that quote from that poem. Great poem, obviously.
Next article: “To begin at the beginning”
Damm,thought winter break meant half of schedule done,but only 27 games left. They gone from 6,7,8, place for playoffs but now 11th. Think like everyone else got our hopes up when mentioning playoffs, but maybe next year
Still a lot of good on this year’s team. The problem is teams like Kraken,Mammoth, Ducks,Kings,Predators all had their slumps earlier and now surging in 2nd half.
I think 16 or 17 wins in 27 and some loser points too should get us in. The schedule really is pretty weak, it’s possible, though nothing we can take for granted
Yes the schedule is weak but it’s also weak for basically everyone in front of us in the race except for Edmonton. Outside of them, Seattle has the toughest schedule and theirs is the 11th easiest.
Too early for that defeatist attitude. 27 games with the teams packed as tightly as they are. They’re not even that many points out right now.
I think they will have to come out of break on fire, 6 of 8 points after March 3. If they lose ground, I could see a sell off. Not a huge one unless they come out and go O-fer. A little sell off could also be addition by subtraction. But if team stands as is, I think only way team makes playoffs is a couple of the D find their game again: Muhk last yr form before injury, Klingber’s pre injury play this year or Lilly his early season stretch. Probably 2 of those 3. Think if D continues… Read more »
Is it just me, or was sending Chernyshov down to AHL the turning point? He drove the offensive plays that beat FL… then he loses his spot for a vet coming off injury? Reward good play, he played on the top line and looked like he belonged! I get it he’s waiver exempt and easy to make that decision, but come on, we need to put the best team on the ice… let the kid play!
Sherwood was a great acquisition by the Sharks.Too bad the Avs didn’t get him back. He’s exactly what they need to win the Cup – a sandpaper guy that can skate and score.