Sharks Locker Room: Quinn Loved Zadina’s Game, Hated Coyotes’ GWG

The San Jose Sharks are falling back on bad habits.

In their last game before holiday break, the Sharks gave an ugly Christmas sweater to their fans – and gave the Arizona Coyotes goal after goal in a 5-2 loss.

“I think puck-watching and forcing offense is starting to creep in. Not creeping, it’s in our game, it’s there,” head coach David Quinn said about San Jose’s fourth-straight loss. “Until we get back to being consistent with doing the right things, shift in and shift out, we’re probably going to be on the losing end.”

Anthony Duclair made it 1-1, and Filip Zadina scored his first goal since Nov. 9 to keep it a one-goal game in the third period, but otherwise, tonight was yet another learning lesson at best for a young team that’s going through its growing pains.

“Sometimes, failure is the greatest teacher, and this has to hurt so much, you say I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to feel like this, right? That’s really what it comes down to,” Quinn said. “How bad does it hurt to lose? Then you stop doing it.”

Maybe it hurt bad enough being the laughingstock of the NHL – the Sharks’ 0-10-1 start culminated with giving up 10 goals apiece in a back-to-back games, a feat that hasn’t happened since 1965 – that San Jose hasn’t been embarrassed quite like that since then.

How much does it hurt to blow winnable games? They’ve been very much in the game in two of their last four defeats, both against Arizona.

We’ll see how they respond on Saturday in Vancouver, their last game before the break.

Quinn really didn’t like the Alex Kerfoot goal – he also said that Alexander Barabanov didn’t play because he was ill, and that Givani Smith left the game because of a lower-body injury.

Zadina talked about his first goal in a while, Jan Rutta discussed the penalty-killing in colorful terms, and Duclair was happy for Zadina (and that’s about it).

David Quinn

Quinn, on the San Jose Sharks’ performance:

I thought as the game went on, we cheated for offense, [trying to] scoring goals.

That’s too bad, because I think we had a lot of energy. I thought our first period was good. We answered back when they made it 1-0.

Just…a breakaway goal [from Clayton Keller]… you know, we got an opportunity on initial rush, maybe to create some offense… [and then] our second defenseman just lets everybody get behind him…

I think puck-watching and forcing offense is starting to creep in. Not creeping, it’s in our game, it’s there. Until we get back to being consistent with doing the right things, shift in and shift out, we’re probably going to be on the losing end…

We gotta manage the puck better. Our D are turning the puck over way too much. When we struggle, that is a big problem.

Quinn, on how a young team learns to not cheat for offense:

Sometimes, failure is the greatest teacher, and this has to hurt so much, you say I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to feel like this, right? That’s really what it comes down to. How bad does it hurt to lose? Then you stop doing it.

Quinn, on the Alex Kerfoot goal:

The kick in the ass was the third goal, the faceoff. We win the draw and it ends up in the back of our net. It can’t happen. It just can’t happen. That really pissed me off. It just can’t happen.

The play there, D throws it up the glass, the winger can’t get behind the defenseman until it’s by him. We get behind the D, keeps it in, it’s a goal. It’s cheating for offense.

Quinn, on if Anthony Duclair is skating harder for 200 feet the last couple of games:

Definitely more of that, for sure.

Filip Zadina

Zadina, on his first goal since Nov. 9:

Yeah, definitely. I felt really good. Unfortunately, we lost, didn’t end up the way we wanted. But I’m really, really happy, and appreciative of that goal.

Jan Rutta

Rutta, on the San Jose Sharks’ penalty kill:

Just fucking do whatever not to let goals in. Starts with attitude and an effort.

I think it comes down to execution. We had three kills tonight and I think for the most part, we defended that pretty well, but then we just started late on one pass and it’s in the back of the net.

Anthony Duclair

Duclair, on Zadina scoring a goal:

He’s an important player for us. He brings energy and speed. He’s got some skill. He’s got all the right tools.

It’s good for him, it’s good for the team, for him to get one in there. Hopefully, that keeps going.