It’s unrealistic to believe that the San Jose Sharks will make the playoffs next season. Moving from last place overall this year to a postseason position in 2026 would require something around a 40-point improvement.
But getting a lot closer to the playoff cutline in 2025-26 is not only within the realm of possibility for the Sharks, internally, it’s probably expected. And it starts with turning some of the numerous close losses they’ve endured this season into wins.
The Sharks enter Sunday’s tilt against the desperate Calgary Flames with a 12-15-11 record in one-goal games, and with a less than optimal 18-16-6 mark in games which they’ve tied or led going into the third period.
Friday, the Sharks put forth another solid effort against a more talented and experienced opponent, and were tied with the playoff-bound Edmonton Oilers entering, yes, the third period.
But a questionable tripping penalty on Alexander Wennberg led to a go-ahead power play goal from Corey Perry with 12:28 left in regulation time.
The Sharks made a push to try and tie it, with William Eklund coming oh-so-close to scoring his 18th of the season late in the third period. But Oilers forward Connor Brown iced the game with an empty net goal with 26 seconds left, handing the Sharks a 4-2 loss, marking San Jose’s eighth straight loss.
“Right now, it’s just a play here and play there that’s costing us a game,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said.
Brown’s goal was the 16th empty-netter the Sharks have allowed this season, as their record in two-goal games dropped to 4-14.
“When we’re losing games, it tends to be either we don’t play for a 10–15-minute stretch and they might score one or two,” Sharks defenseman Henry Thrun said, “which you (saw) tonight.”
Here’s three ways the Sharks can improve in close games.
CONTINUE TO MATURE: The Sharks have had one of the younger teams in the NHL all season and got even younger after last month’s trade deadline. Although no one in teal is having fun right now, as the Sharks will take an eight-game skid into the Saddledome on Sunday, the experience those young players are getting could be valuable down the road.
The Sharks have some gaping roster holes to fill this offseason, but don’t count on general manager Mike Grier being a massive spender in free agency. As much as he wants to see progress, he doesn’t want to rush his process. Part of that is having his younger players learning how to shoulder more of a load.
“We have some guys in positions, some young players, especially, that are just growing and they’re learning,” Warsofsky said. “To play in this league, you need to be consistent. When you have a young player that’s just joining us, or is just 18, 19, 20 years old, it’s a lot on their plate, and it’s not their fault.
“But the more experience you get doing it and being in these positions, the more and more comfortable you get, and that’s how you grow. That’s how we’ll grow as a team.”
SPECIAL TEAMS/GAINING RESPECT: The Sharks’ power play continues to be inconsistent. The unit enters Saturday ranked 23rd in the NHL at 18.7%. But the bigger issue this season has been the number of penalties the Sharks have taken and how bad they’ve been on the kill all year.
The Sharks have been shorthanded 247 times this season, second-most in the NHL, only ahead of Montreal (249). They’ve allowed a league-high 66 power-play goals this year, and their penalty kill ranks 29th.
The Sharks are 6-32-5 this season when they allow a power-play goal.
Warsofsky did not like the soft call on Wennberg with the game tied at the 5:54 mark of the third period, saying, “I’ve watched it a few times now.” But also added, “I think we got respect back from our opponent. I don’t know if we’ve got it from the rest of the league yet,” perhaps referring to NHL officiating crews.
ADD THE RIGHT PIECES: While the Sharks might not go big game hunting in free agency this summer, they do have holes to fill, and it’ll be up to Grier and his staff to identify what players make sense to add right now, if they can.
The Sharks did well in signing Wennberg and Tyler Toffoli on the first day of free agency last summer, and later added defensemen Cody Ceci and Jake Walman via trade. Those players were flipped to contenders at the deadline.
The Sharks have to address their leaky defense, and could be in the market for more solid two-way forwards and perhaps a defenseman who can be a bit nasty when needed. A solid veteran goalie to pair with the soon-to-be 23-year-old Yaroslav Askarov also makes sense.
But the Sharks players and coaches are not thinking about that right now. They want to finish the year as strong as possible, starting with Sunday’s game.
“The biggest thing right now is we still have three games left, three games to go out feeling good,” Thrun said when asked what needs to happen next season to turn the close losses into more wins.
“But in terms of looking at next year, those questions will be addressed this summer, both from a player perspective and a coach perspective, and something that I’m sure there’ll be a lot of conversations about.”
Source: Paradise Post
