SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks now have 19 games left and may be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention by early next week. They have some players who thought they might get traded but weren’t, and as of earlier this week, were playing games in front of only a few thousand fans.
And they just watched their best player get traded to their fiercest rival.
It hasn’t been the easiest set of circumstances for anyone in teal.
Still, the expectations for everyone inside the Sharks organization remain the same – carry a professional and positive attitude and compete as hard as possible even as everyone plays out the string.
A challenging week on a positive note Saturday, as Thomas Bordeleau had his first career two-goal game in the NHL, and goalie Magnus Chrona made 31 saves to earn his first victory in the league as the Sharks beat the Ottawa Senators 2-1 before an announced crowd of 17,008 at SAP Center.
Mikael Granlund, playing in his 800th career NHL game, assisted on both of Bordeleau’s power-play goals as the Sharks snapped a nine-game losing streak.
“Just a good performance against a good team,” Sharks coach David Quinn said. “I don’t care what that team’s record is. They’re good. They’ve got a lot of talent. They’re well-coached. They’re a challenge.”
Granlund is now the team leader in points with 40 after Tomas Hertl was dealt to the rival Vegas Golden Knights on Friday just minutes before the NHL trade deadline at noon (PST).
Also on Friday, the Sharks traded goalie Kaapo Kahkonen to the New Jersey Devils and defenseman Nikita Okhotiuk to the Calgary Flames. On Thursday, winger Anthony Duclair was sent to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
It was a fire sale.
Still, the loss of Hertl, a leader from both a production and emotional standpoint, probably stings the Sharks the most.
“We’re professionals and we’ve got to put emotion aside. You’ve got a job to do,” Sharks coach David Quinn said before Saturday’s game. “Your career is on the line every time you step on the ice and if you’re not mentally tough enough to approach it that way, then you’re going to have a short career in the National Hockey League.
“If you’re going to let these types of things get in the way of your performance, then you’re not going to make it long.”
With Saturday’s win, the Sharks (16-40-7) ended a three-game homestand with a 1-1-1 record. The two games earlier this week, against Dallas and the New York Islanders, drew two of the three smallest crowds of the season at 10,070 and 10,077, respectively.
The Sharks now begin a five-game road trip on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers.
“It’s a 20-game season,” Quinn said. “It’s been a tough go here the last 48 hours. But there should be relief, too, that there’s clarity and there’s certainty of who’s here and you know what you have to do.
“Careers are on the line. People watch and people evaluate, you can’t unsee what you see. You don’t get a redo, so you better come out ready to play.”
Chrona was making his third career NHL start and was two days removed from a 7-2 loss to the New York Islanders in which he had a .788 save percentage, although he was on the receiving end of a couple of unlucky bounces.
“Just joy,” Chrona said of his first NHL win. “Something I dreamt of my entire life. It was close in Dallas (on March 2) and kind of came into the same situation this time with a 2-1 lead coming into the third. I think the guys played great in front of me.”