San Jose Sharks, on six-game skid, play Tampa Bay Lightning

Don’t worry, the San Jose Sharks are still nowhere near the franchise record for the longest winless streak to open a season.

But it might not be that long before that ignominious mark of 11 begins to feel really close.

The Sharks were handed their sixth consecutive defeat Tuesday, allowing three straight goals in a 3-1 loss to the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena. Although the Sharks received some encouraging individual performances, the loss marked the fifth time that they’ve scored just one goal.

Going into Thursday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Sharks (0-5-1) have hit the back of the net just eight times, the second-lowest total in the league and tied for the fewest in team history after six games (the 2003-04 team also scored eight during a 1-4-1 start).

The Sharks have three more opportunities on this road trip to earn a win. After Thursday, they face the Carolina Hurricanes (3-4-0) on Friday and the Washington Capitals (1-3-1) on Sunday. The Sharks were beaten at home 6-3 by the Hurricanes on Oct. 17 and will be playing their fourth game in six days when they visit the nation’s capital. Washington, though, has scored just six goals in its first five games.

“Just got to throw more pucks at the net and create chaos,” said winger Fabian Zetterlund, who scored Tuesday and is now tied for the team lead with two goals, “and then it will come.”

But what if it doesn’t? If the Sharks finish this road trip without a victory, they’ll be just two losses shy of the team’s season-opening winless streak record of 11 games, set in 1995 when the team lost seven games and tied four others.

A four-game homestand starts next Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks, followed by games against Erik Karlsson and the Pittsburgh Penguins and John Tortorella and the Philadelphia Flyers.

Can anything be ruled out at this point?

We’ll see where centers Logan Couture and Mikael Granlund are health-wise by the start of next week. Couture, out with a lower-body injury, has resumed skating in San Jose but per Sharks coach David Quinn, Granlund has had a small setback in rehab from a lower-body ailment.

Certainly, their absences have had an adverse effect on the Sharks’ offense as most of the Sharks’ big boys just haven’t produced. Tomas Hertl has five points in six games, but wingers Anthony Duclair, Mike Hoffman, and Alexander Barabanov have combined for one goal, one assist, and 25 shots.

With no points in six games, Barabanov, who did not play the final five minutes of the third period, apparently because of an injury, is on the second-longest point drought of his NHL career.

Defenseman Henry Thrun hasn’t played an NHL game in over a week and remains tied for third on the team with two points.

Against the Panthers, the Sharks, per Natural Stat Trick, gave up 17 high-danger chances, including 12 in the first period, and created just seven. For the season, the Sharks have created less than eight high-danger chances per game and allowed over 13.

All while the Sharks are getting standout goaltending. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 32 of 34 shots Tuesday and has a .914 save percentage in four games this season.

With the Sharks leading 1-0, though, Blackwood wasn’t given much help by the skaters around him as Carter Verhaeghe was left wide open beside the net as he took a pass from Matthew Tkachuk and scored his third of the season. Later in the second period, the Sharks took back-to-back penalties and allowed a power play goal to Sam Reinhart.