No team heading into the Stanley Cup playoffs is on a worse swoon than the San Jose Sharks. Heading into Thursday's road date with the Edmonton Oilers, the Sharks have just one win in their last 10 games.
"We've got two kind of practice shots at this again, and then the real season starts, so hopefully we can put it together and then get ready for Vegas," Sharks center Joe Thornton said. "But I think we can get out of this, no problem."
If they don't get out of it, the Sharks (44-27-9, 97 points) will have a short playoff appearance. Sure, they clinched second place in the Pacific Division and will have home-ice advantage against the Vegas Golden Knights to start the playoffs, but a 1-8-1 freefall can't be ignored.
"It's been a little bit of everything," goalie Martin Jones said. "We've had some tough bounces, probably too much stuff off the rush. We need to work for each other coming back into our own end and be able to trust we are going to be there for each other, and then we need some more saves."
San Jose, which is coming off a 4-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday, has surrendered 43 goals in those 10 games. The Sharks will conclude the regular season at home to the Colorado Avalanche, who are on the verge of clinching a playoff position, likely the second wild-card spot.
The Oilers (34-37-9, 77 points), coming off a 6-2 loss to the Avalanche on Tuesday, will miss the playoffs 12th time in 13 seasons, and it appears to be wearing on their top players.
Connor McDavid recently said his frustration level is "really, really high," called the season "emotionally challenging" and added "we have a lot of crap to figure out."
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is sounding just as frustrated to be an also-ran year after year.
"At this point, it's definitely disappointing," Nugent-Hopkins told Postmedia. "For me, personally, (a career year) doesn't really matter that much. It's about making the playoffs. It's my eighth year, and I've only been in (the playoffs) once. At this point in my career, it's about making the playoffs and pushing for the end result. Right now, it's tough to swallow."
Edmonton, which will conclude the season Saturday at Calgary, has lost four straight games and blew a 2-0 lead against the Avalanche.
"I think there are a lot of people burned out from chasing," said head coach Ken Hitchcock, whose team has just two wins in the last nine games. "We looked like a completely burnt team. I look at other teams in the same boat, and the same thing is happening to them."
As for the Sharks, they do have some positives. Captain Joe Pavelski scored in Vancouver, in his return to action after missing seven games because of a lower-body injury.
"It was nice to give me a little confidence," Pavelski said. "But at the end of the day, it's not how you feel, it's about the wins, and we have a little way to go."
Thornton collected two assists to tie Steve Yzerman (1,063) for eighth place on the NHL all-time list while playing his 1,564th game, which tied Nicklas Lidstrom for 12th all-time.
"That's the reason I wear No. 19," Thornton said of Yzerman. "It's pretty cool."
Defenseman Erik Karlsson, who has been out since Feb. 26 with a groin strain, practiced with the team on Tuesday and plans to be ready for the start of the playoffs.
--Field Level Media