The San Jose Sharks might have played their best hockey of the season on their recent homestand but their struggles on the road continue unabated.
The Sharks allowed two goals in a lopsided second period and never fully recovered in a 3-0 loss to the Boston Bruins on Thursday at TD Garden, as San Jose’s record away from home dropped to an unsightly 0-10-0.
After an even first period, the Sharks allowed even-strength goals to Danton Heinen and Jake DeBrusk to fall behind 2-0. San Jose was unable to mount any type of comeback as it was shut out for the fourth time this season, all on the road.
Highlighting the Sharks’ offensive frustrations was their inability to score during a 5-on-3 power play that started near the end of the second period. Once the third period began and with 1:35 of man-advantage time to play with, the Sharks turned the puck over twice and were unable to get a shot on Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman.
The Sharks were 0-for-5 on the power play for the game and now own a 0-11-2 record against the Bruins since the start of the 2016-17 season. Their last win against Boston came on March 15, 2016.
The Sharks might be in danger of eclipsing the franchise record for most road losses to start a season, held by the 1991-1992 Sharks, who lost their first 13 games away from the Cow Palace.
San Jose has now been outscored 39-6 in 10 games away from home, with its season-long six-game road trip just getting underway.
The Sharks next face New Jersey on Friday, followed by games against the New York Rangers and New York Islanders on Sunday and Tuesday, respectively. The Sharks finish the trip with games against Detroit on Dec. 7 and Vegas on Dec. 10.
Tomas Hertl, who came down with an undisclosed injury last Sunday when the team had the day off, surprisingly came out for pregame warmups and was later inserted into the Sharks’ lineup. Hertl missed Monday’s game with the Washington Capitals, did not practice on Tuesday or take part in the morning skate on Thursday at TD Garden.
His turnover in the Sharks’ zone led to Boston’s first goal, though, as his attempted clear was batted down by Matthew Poitras, who got the puck over to Heinen for a shot that beat Mackenzie Blackwood.
Blackwood started his second straight game after he stopped 33 of 34 shots in the Sharks’ 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals on Monday, as San Jose wrapped up a three-game homestand with a 2-0-1 record.
In his last eight games before Thursday, Blackwood had a 3-3-1 record with an impressive .924 save percentage. Among those eight appearances, though, were road losses to Anaheim, Vancouver, and Seattle, as the Sharks fell to 0-9-0 away from home this season.