Sharks Locker Room: Sturm Speaks From the Heart After Embarrassing Loss…Again

Nico Sturm has been here before.

After the fifth game of the 2022-23 campaign, Nico Sturm spoke from the heart in response to a winless start to the season for the San Jose Sharks.

“We want to turn the culture around here,” Sturm said, after a 5-2 loss to the New York Islanders, of the team’s 0-5-0 start. “And so far, we haven’t done anything.”

After the fifth game of the 2024-25 campaign, Nico Sturm spoke from the heart in response to a winless start to the season for the Sharks.

“We took two massive steps back these last two nights,” Sturm said about Thursday’s 4-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks and Friday’s 8-3 rout at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets. “It felt a lot like last year, these last two games on the bench again.”

The Sharks pulled starter Mackenzie Blackwood for Vitek Vanecek, but to no avail. San Jose surrendered four power play goals, took seven penalties, and gifted three Jets with career nights.

New San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky is trying to move forward from last year, a historically awful squad with a -150 Goal Differential, the worst in the NHL in three decades.

“Last year was last year,” Warsofsky has been fond of saying.

But after getting run out of Canada by the Jets?

The horrors of last year are snapping at the 0-3-2 Sharks’ heels.

Sturm was candid as he always is about the Sharks’ struggles. Luke Kunin, déjà vu, talked about the team’s “unacceptable” effort. Vanecek spoke about playing back-to-back nights.

Warsofsky discussed Danil Gushchin and Givani Smith’s returns to the line-up.

Nico Sturm

Sturm, on the San Jose Sharks’ slow start in the first period:

Whole game, really, felt like we’re too far away from their guys. It felt like they’re coming through the neutral zone, with so much speed, they’re breaking out every puck. It was exhausting to play because we’re so far away from their guys, we’re chasing our own zone where we didn’t get any grip on them in the neutral zone, on the forecheck.

So it just felt like for them, it was the easiest night. And so that’s exactly what we said. We don’t want our nights to feel like [this] anymore, other teams feeling like they had a lot of fun playing against us. But that’s probably what it was like tonight.

Sturm, on the San Jose Sharks avoiding a losing spiral like past years:

That’s a good question. Don’t really have the answer for you. If I did, I would have done it last year and the year before that.

The truth is, we did take a big step back these last two games. I thought we looked really, really good the first three games of the season. Thought we looked really good in Dallas on the road against a Stanley Cup contender. Then we took two massive steps back these last two nights, and it felt a lot like last year, these last two games on the bench again, I’m sure other guys can attest to that.

Whereas the first three games, there was finally some confidence in our power play and our penalty kill and 5-on-5. If you looked up and down the bench, there was a good mojo in the locker room. There was confidence within the group, amongst each other, and these last two games felt a lot like last year, honestly.

Sturm, on why the Sharks have had slow starts on back-to-back nights:

That’s on each individual. Honestly, we’re professionals. You gotta do what you got to do to prepare for the game.

We’ve had team skates in the morning. We’ve had optionals. It really makes no difference. You got to be ready when the puck drops, whether you go to bed at 9 PM the night before, or stay up to 3 playing video games, like nobody really cares, as long as you’re ready.

It’s taken us half the game, both in Chicago and tonight, to seem even remotely ready.

Sturm, on the Sharks’ penalty kill woes:

The first thing I probably noticed is that the last two nights, we’ve had trouble clearing the puck again, and it’s cost us. Pucks haven’t gone 200 feet, whereas the first three games, we’ve seemingly gotten every puck out and made them go back.

The truth of the matter is to play 4-on-5, you’re in your zone for 35 seconds, and you don’t get the puck out. You only get it somewhere to the neutral zone.

The way we kill, it’s a high energy kill. And the fact of the matter is that after 35 or 40 seconds, you can’t be there anymore energy-wise. And if you don’t get the puck down the ice, it’ll cost you.

Luke Kunin

Kunin, on the San Jose Sharks letting down their goaltending:

Both of them. Unacceptable on our part.

We’ll go over as a group, we’ll fix it. Just see the difference in the play from the first three games to the last two needs to be better.

Vitek Vanecek

Vanecek, on tough it was to play back-to-back nights:

I mean, not [good to be giving up] too many goals. But I felt really good. Long time, I didn’t play back-to-back. I mean, I played two periods, I didn’t play two games.

Ryan Warsofsky

Warsofsky, on San Jose Sharks’ energy in second game of back-to-back:

I thought we had a great meeting this morning, even before, I thought we had good energy in the dressing room. Through our meetings throughout the day, I was hoping we would be a little bit more engaged in the hockey game. Then we just let one up early. We’re chasin’.

Warsofsky, on Danil Gushchin and Givani Smith:

Goosh was good. I thought he tried to create some offense with his legs and wants the puck on his stick. Did some really good things, some things he needs to improve on. But I like Goosh’s game tonight, for the most part.

Smitty was trying to be more physical. He was trying to get up on the forecheck, and create some turnovers. Tough with all the penalties to get that fourth line moving and some rhythm, but thought both guys gave us a little bit of energy.

Warsofsky, on if there’s any issue with the team’s preparation the night before the game:

No.

Warsofsky say that Eklund is day-to-day https://t.co/MZj7bMvd09

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) October 19, 2024