This isn’t how the San Jose Sharks expected their season to go.
Last year, the Sharks were within striking distance of a playoff spot heading into the final week of the season.
With one of the most talented young cores in the league, they seemed primed to take the next step.
Not so fast.
After a brutal 7-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night, the San Jose Sharks dropped to 7-9-1 on the season. They’ve won just three of their last 10 games and have now lost three in a row.
Following their Wednesday night beatdown, frustration was seeping from their dressing room.
Sharks’ Kiefer Sherwood calls out Artemi Panarin and Kings for disrespect
Even though Los Angeles went into the third period with a 5-1 lead, they kept their foot on the gas, something that seemed to run Sherwood and the Sharks the wrong way.
“They’re up 6-2…put their top power play out,” Sherwood said. “Panarin’s blocking shots, celebrating to his bench. It’s disrespectful.”
Sherwood was referencing a power play that Los Angeles had with five minutes to go, where the top-unit restored the Kings’ five goal advantage.
Assists: Artemi Panarin (9) Erik Gustafsson (4)
#GoKingsGo #TurnItAllTeal #LAKvsSJSHowever, Sherwood did acknowledge that it’s on the Sharks to curtail the disrespect.
“It’s unacceptable,” he said. “It’s not good enough. It’s not good enough to a man, to a team. It’s not. It’s not on the coaches right now. We’re not winning our battles. We’re not being hard to play against. We’re not making plays. It’s not good enough.”
“We gotta turn it on here. We gotta stick together here, obviously going through some growing pains, but we got to look ourselves in the mirror & do something about it.”
“Until we do something about it. Things aren’t going to change unless we man up and do something about it.”
Sharks Hold Player-Only Meeting
Multiple media members in San Jose reported on a long delay postgame before they were able to go into the locker room. They later learned that Sharks players held a closed-door meeting.
It’s easy to understand their frustration. Although San Jose is young, they certainly had higher expectations than this. After expecting to contend for a playoff spot, at five-on-five, they’ve arguably been the worst team in the NHL.
Many Sharks fans are blaming head coach Ryan Warsofsky for the team’s early struggles, and captain Macklin Celebrini was asked about that postgame.
“We’re the ones on the ice. It’s not nothing in the structure or anything that’s going really wrong. I think it’s just to a man, we just need to be better.”
The entire Sharks defence has been a disaster this season, headlined by Darnell Nurse. After being acquired by the Sharks in the offseason via trade, Nurse ranks among the worst defencemen in the NHL in terms of shot attempts against and expected goals against. The rest of the defence, including veterans Jacob Trouba and Dmitri Orlov, haven’t been much better.
San Jose’s schedule isn’t getting any easier, as they play the Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars on the road for their next two games.
Sharks Player Furious With Kings After ‘Disrespectful’ Celebration