The 2023-24 NHL season has mercifully come to an end for the San Jose Sharks. With a full scale rebuild in progress, the Sharks limped through the majority of the year armed with little talent and even less motivation to compete in the Pacific Division and Western Conference. They closed out the year with one final whipping, this time at the hands of the Calgary Flames who pummeled the Sharks 5-1 at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Thursday night.

The Sharks wrapped up their regular season home schedule with one final tilt at SAP Center on Saturday night. They rewarded their fans with much of the same bad hockey they played in the previous 40 games on home ice this season. The Minnesota Wild piled on the Sharks, taking a 6-2 decision before a rare sellout crowd.

If these late season games are an opportunity for guys to audition for spots on the 2024-25 roster, too many Sharks are missing a chance to make a mark. With 8 games left in the season, the Sharks did little to compete against a Los Angeles Kings team that's fighting to retain their spot in the upcoming playoffs. The Kings scored goals 18 second apart in the opening period, and held on to take a 2-1 decision at SAP Center on Thursday night.

The Sharks miserable season took one step closer to finality with the Sharks closing out their 3-game home stand with a 6-3 loss to the Dallas Stars at SAP Center on Thursday night. The Sharks tried to make a go of it against the high-powered Stars offense, but in the end, San Jose was simply outclassed by a team vying for the top spot in the Western Conference.

When Devin Cooley was acquired at the NHL Trade Deadline on March 8th, the Sharks were bringing home one of their own. The goaltender was not only a native of the Bay Area, but he was a product of the Junior Sharks development program. Saturday night marked Cooley's first start on SAP Center Ice in Sharks sweater. It won't be one that the kid will soon forget. After taking a 4-0 lead over the visiting Chicago Blackhawks, the Sharks would go on to squander their big lead and lose it 5-4 in overtime.

After getting annihilated by the Nashville Predators to end their 5-game road trip last Tuesday night, the Sharks were focused on cleaning up lots of issues. They did that for the first 40 minutes of Thursday night's contest against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Problem is NHL games are 60 minutes. Tampa Bay snapped out of a 40-minute funk and scored 3 unanswered goals in the 3rd period to send the Sharks to their 6th consecutive loss in a 4-1 tilt.

The Sharks wrapped up their 5-game road trip with a demonstration of why they are a cellar dweller and why their hosts, the Nashville Predators, extended their standings point streak to 15 games on Tuesday night. San Jose held a 2-1 lead in the game before the Predators went on a scoring streak, potting the game's final 7 goals. It was an ugly end to the trip which netted San Jose 5 regulation losses.

The Sharks continued their tour of Pennsylvania on Thursday night with a stop in Pittsburgh. San Jose hung on for 40 minutes, but would allow three 3rd period goals to fall 6-3 to the Penguins at PPG Paints Arena. Magnus Chrona made 25 saves in the loss. Klim Kostin, MArc-EDouard Vlasic and Mikael Granlund all had 2-point games.

As the post trade deadline fog begins to lift and the Sharks try to get to the finish line of this lost 2023-24 NHL season, the Sharks hit the road for the first of five games away from SAP Center with a stop in Philadelphia on Tuesday night. Not unlike most games this season, the Sharks can't outscore their opponent and fall for the 41st time in regulation by dropping a 3-2 decision at Wells Fargo Center.

When the Sharks signed Tomas Hertl to a massive contract a couple seasons ago, knowing this probably would mean they couldn't keep Timo Meier, I thought they'd chosen the wrong player. Well, now neither player is still with the team.

With the NHL Trade Deadline hours away, the Sharks got some clarity on their roster situation by learning that winger Anthony Duclair had been dealt to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday afternoon. They then proceeded to play like half the team had been traded, losing to the New York Islanders by a 7-2 tilt at SAP Center.

When the Sharks dropped their 3-2 shootout decision to the Dallas Stars on Saturday it planted a seed of belief. It proved they could compete with top tier teams. They got their chance to build on that on Tuesday night as Dallas came calling. That seed was doused in oil, wrapped in gasoline and blown up with a stick of dynamite as San Jose let a 3-goal 3rd period lead slip through their fingers to eventually fall 7-6 in overtime on a Roope Hintz goal.

The Sharks are using the final 24 games of the season to evaluate who is worth keeping, and also showcasing some of their talent for the impending NHL Trade Deadline. Several Sharks proved that the NHL may be bit above them, as San Jose drops a 6-4 decision to the Anaheim Ducks at SAP Center. The Sharks scored 3 power play goals in the contest, but they also surrendered a pair of crucial goals on the penalty kill.

As the NHL Trade deadline approaches, some Sharks are rehearsing for a possible move to a team trying to round out their rosters for the playoffs. Some of those Sharks are either unaware of the audition or they're willingly trying to avoid a trade by playing at a level unworthy of an NHLer. After taking a 1-0 lead against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night at SAP Center, then promptly allowed the Devils to score 7 straight goal en route to a 7-2 loss.

When the Sharks sputtered out of the gate to start the 2023-24 NHL Season, one of those gory losses in their first 11 games was a 5-1 smack down by the Nashville Predators. The Sharks have improved since that ugly period, but they would still fall short to the Predators on Saturday night 4-2 at SAP Center. San Jose trailed by a lone goal late, before an empty net tally ended things.

Filip Zadina opted not to re-sign with the Detroit Red Wings last summer. He wanted a fresh start. Joining the Sharks, he figured he'd get lots of chances to deliver for team teal. He did exactly that on Thursday night in Calgary, scoring a pair of goals and add 2 assists for a career high 4 point night in the Sharks 6-3 victory of the host Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

The Sharks returned from their lengthy 2-week break by hitting the road with a stop in Winnipeg. San Jose's offense may have missed the trip from San Jose, as Connor Hellebuyck shutout the Sharks with an 18 save performance. Kappo Kahkonen made 39 saves in the 1-0 loss.

The Sharks have been feeling pretty good about themselves lately. Winners in 4 of their last 5 games, they found a way to cough up a 5th win to close out the season by failing to hold a 3rd period lead, then allowing the Anaheim Ducks to beat them in overtime on a turnover and missed defensive coverage. The 3-2 loss was the last game for San Jose until February 14th when they return from the All Star break.

Back in November, the Sharks traveled to Seattle to play the Kraken, and ended up limping home after getting spanked 7-1 at Climate Change Arena. The Kraken made their first of two trips to SAP Center on Tuesday night and the Sharks exacted a little revenge. Fueled by a 32 save performance by goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, the Sharks held off a team on the cusp of a wild card spot in a 2-0. The shutout was the first for the Sharks this season.

The Sharks entered Saturday's game with the Buffalo Sabres riding a season high 3-game win streak, and a hot start to the contest looked as if the Sharks might extend that streak. Struggling themselves this season, the Sabres had other ideas, so they dispatched the Sharks with 5 unanswered goals to take a 5-2 victory at SAP Center.

Coming of their 4-3 shootout win in Los Angeles on Monday night the Sharks had their excuse to mail in their game against the New York Rangers. Down their number one defenseman and staring at a 2-0 deficit in the 3rd period, the Sharks went to work on tired legs and chipped away at the Rangers lead. They would extend things to overtime where Tomas Hertl scored a big overtime goal to give the Sharks a dramatic 3-2 win.

The Sharks entered play having won consecutive games only three times this season. They expanded that to 4 with a 4-3 shootout victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. They have a chance to win 3 games in a row for the first time this season on Tuesday when they head home to take on the New York Rangers. Logan Couture and Fabian Zetterlund scored goals in the shootout to help pace San Jose who also won for the first time in the shootout this season.

The Sharks got a big jolt of leadership on Saturday night with the return of captain Logan Couture and Nico Sturm. Couture has been out all season with Osteitis pubis, but his presence helped San Jose to a 5-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks at SAP Center. Sturm has been an unofficial captain for San Jose in Couture's absence, so his return also helped San Jose to snap a 3-game losing streak.

Joe Thornton is not the most important player in San Jose Sharks franchise history. He isn't Owen Nolan, who became the heart and soul of a team trying to find its way in the big, bad NHL. He isn't Igor Larionov, who brought a style and tactical elegance to playing hockey that would set a blueprint that was followed until 2020. He isn't even Joe Pavelski, Captain America, who wore his heart on his sleeve and showed that the race isn't always to the fastest or most skilled, but often to those who want it the most.

The NHL's 32nd ranked San Jose Sharks made a stop in Chicago to face the 31st ranked Blackhawks on Tuesday night. It was a grand display of bad hockey, showcasing two teams that can't score or generate much excitement in a game that's made to be exciting. When regulation expired, the game was knotted at 1-1, then neither team could score in overtime. In the end, the Sharks would fall 2-1 in the shootout when Boris Katchouk slipped a puck past Mackenzie Blackwood in the 9th round of the skills competition. No, not Connor Bedard, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews or Stan Makita. Boris Katchouk.

The big upside to the Sharks game on Monday, was that they got it over with early. San Jose continued their 5-game East Coast road trip with an early start in Buffalo as the nation honored Martin Luther King Jr. with the national holiday. The Sharks struggled offensively and fell to the Sabres 3-0 at KeyBank Center.

San Jose traveled to Canada's capitol to face off in the battle of the basement dwellers. The Eastern Conference's worst team in the Ottawa Senators scored a go-ahead goal with 3.3 seconds remaining in regulation to win for the first time in 2024, and send the Sharks to their 33rd loss in 43 games this season. The 5-4 loss snapped the Sharks 1-game winning streak.

The results haven't been what goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood had hoped for this season. Entering play on Thursday night in Montreal, Blackwood had lost all 10 games he has started on the road this season. End put that streak to bed with a gritty performance in a 3-2 Sharks win at the Bell Centre. Blackwood made 33 saves in the first Sharks win since December 12th.

The Sharks matched a dubious distinction on Saturday afternoon, when they dropped a 4-1 decision to the Toronto Maple Leafs at SAP Center. In losing the Sharks lost for the 11th consecutive time, matching the consecutive loss total they opened the season with. In that opening stretch they at least managed a point in their shootout loss to Colorado. Their last 11 losses have all come in regulation, which had sunk them to the NHL's basement.

The NHL's 19th ranked power play and 28th ranked penalty kill played like it on Thursday night and that would mean an unfavorable outcome for the San Jose Sharks. Going 0-for-2 on the power play and 0-for-1 on the penalty kill was lethal as the Sharks fell 2-1 to the Winnipeg Jets at SAP Center. The Sharks not-so-special teams fell short as it has all season and that would extend the Sharks losing streak to 10 games.

Back on December 7th, the Sharks overcame a 3-0 deficit against the Detroit Red Wings, eventually winning in overtime. As the Sharks start 2024, they returned the favor to Detroit who overcame a 3-2 Sharks lead in the 3rd period before San Jose let the game slip through their fingers. More rest and a home game against a team that had to travel across the country to play didn't provide any benefit to the Sharks who have lost 9 games in a row.

If the Sharks were serious about snapping their current losing streak, they had a funny way of showing it on Thursday night. Entering play, the Sharks had lost 6 straight games and have floundered after their promising turn to start the month. The Edmonton Oilers extended that to 7 games with a 4-goal 1st period en route to a 5-0 pasting of San Jose at SAP Center.

After falling to the Los Angeles Kings 4-1 at SAP Center on December 19th, the Sharks got a taste of what their post Christmas game would be like. True to form, the Kings smacked the Sharks 5-1 at Crypto.com Arena in Southern California on Wednesday night as the NHL resumed play following their brief holiday break. Similar to their game last week, the Sharks were simply overmatched. San Jose opened the game's scoring then allowed the Kings to score 5 straight goals to drop their 23rd game in regulation and 26th overall loss.

The Vancouver Canucks entered play on Saturday night with the best record in the NHL. San Jose entered with the worst record. You're probably picking up on a theme here. The good news for San Jose is that they're done playing Vancouver for the remainder of the season. The Canucks scored 2 goals or more in each period en route to a 7-4 win over the Sharks at Rogers Arena in British Columbia.

The Sharks recent string of lackluster performances extended on Thursday night, as San Jose dropped their 4th straight game and 2nd to the Arizona Coyotes in the last week. The Coyotes took advantage of a number of Shark lapses that came at the absolute wrong time, taking a 5-2 win at SAP Center. After appearing to turn a corner two weeks ago, San Jose has reverted to the mistake prone, uninspired play that helped them to an 0-10-1 record to start the season.

After seemingly turning things around, the Sharks now find themselves having lost 3 straight games, including a lackluster 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night at SAP Center. The Sharks returned home to face the Kings in the 1st of 4 meetings between the divisional foes this season. The Kings smothered the Sharks offense all night, holding the Sharks to 15 shots in the contest.

Last season's Sharks campaign was a painful one, wrought with tough lessons that came in the form of losses. For whatever the reason, that wasn't the case when they played the Arizona Coyotes. San Jose swept the season series with the Coyotes in the 3-game series. They put enough pucks in Arizona's goal to extend that streak, but a pair of coach's challenges wiped away 2 San Jose goals, allowing the Coyotes to take a 1-0 decision at Mullett Arena in Tempe.

The Sharks returned home for the first time since November 27th following a 6-game road trip that netted them 7 points in the standings. San Jose would only enjoy home cooking for the contest on Tuesday night as they defeated the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 in a nail biter at SAP Center. Scoring 3rd period goals has been the Sharks new found talent, which was on full display as William Eklund converted a power play chance to secure the win for San Jose.

The Sharks haven't had any home cooking in 13 days. They wrapped up their season-long 6-game road trip on Sunday night in Vegas as they closed out the trip with a 5-4 shootout loss to the Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. The Sharks battled back from another 2-goal deficit in the 3rd period to earn a point, but they would run out of magic in the shootout.

If you decided to turn the Sharks game off after they fell behind 4-0 in Detroit on Thursday night, you missed another improbable comeback. Just 2 days after San Jose's crazy win over the New York Islanders, the Sharks came back from that 4-goal deficit, scored another equalizer with 89 seconds left in regulation before beating the Red Wings 6-5 in overtime. Unbelievable doesn't describe the comebacks that the Sharks have executed in the last two games, but it's been a fun 48 hours.

The Sharks were dead to rights. Down 4-1 in the 3rd period with 8 minutes to play, San Jose figured out how to even the game in regulation before William Eklund bagged his 6th goal of the season with 4.3 seconds remaining in overtime to steal their biggest win of the season at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York on Tuesday night. The improbable 5-4 win earned the Sharks their 2nd victory on their current 6-game road trip after dropping their first 11 away from SAP Center this season.

Coming off their big 6-3 win over New Jersey on Friday night, the Sharks continued with their New York Metropolitan tour but ran into a buzz saw in Artemi Panerin. The Rangers forward recorded a hat trick to propel his team to a close 6-5 victory over San Jose at Madison Square Garden. San Jose fought back from a 6-3 deficit in the 3rd period to make it close, but they would drop their 2nd game on their current 6-game road trip.

It took 11 tries this season but the Sharks finally won a game away from SAP Center, as they knocked off the New Jersey Devils 6-3 at the Prudential Center. San Jose scored 6 times and rode some stellar goaltending from Kaapo Kahkonen en route to their 6th win of the season. Anthony Duclair and Jacob MacDonald each scored a pair goals to lead San Jose on offense. Kahkonen made 44 saves in the win, including 21 in the 3rd period.

The Sharks kicked off their season long 6-game road trip in Boston on Thursday night, going toe-to-toe with the Bruins for 20 minutes before regressing to the bad hockey team that has planted them firmly in the NHL's basement. The Bruins scored a pair of goals early in the 2nd period then cruised to a 3-0 win at TD Garden. Jeremy Swayman made 26 saves in the shutout to lead Boston.

All right, we're past the US Thanksgiving holiday, which traditionally is the point where NHL teams that are not in a playoff position are considered leftover turkey and their coaches so much cold stuffing. This list includes the Sharks, of course; but practically speaking they were cooked when the season schedule was published.

Back to back wins have been a rarity for the San Jose Sharks this season. Leading up to Monday night's contest with the Washington Capitals, the Sharks had one back to back games just once this season. They replicated that feat with a nice 2-1 win over the Capitals, extending their point streak to three consecutive games. Playing their 5th game in 8 days, it was a prime opportunity for the Sharks to lay down. Perhaps they're starting to enjoy winning enough to do the little things to collect 2 points that are there for the taking.

The Sharks aren't likely to win many games this season, but their 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night may go down as one of the fun ones. The Sharks scored a pair of 3rd period goals to break a 2-2 tie, then held after a wild final 4 minutes of the contest. Kaapo Kahkonen made 32 saves to earn his 2nd win of the season. The Sharks played what was arguably their best team game of the season. It was a chippy affair, which brought the team together for a much needed 2 points.

Another game, another tough lesson for the San Jose Sharks on Friday after at SAP Center. The Montreal Canadiens erased 2-0 deficit, before beating the Sharks 3-2 in the shootout. San Jose carried a 2-1 lead into the 3rd period, but couldn't hold the lead. The Sharks had given up a goal late in the 2nd period, allowing the comeback feasible against a team that simply doesn't know how to put opposing teams away. This one was another example of a team that really doesn't know how to win, but the loss came against a marginal opponent.

After the Sharks allowed 10 goals on back to back games in early November, the Sharks seemed to take note and started to show signs of rebounding from those setbacks. A scolding by GM Mike Grier seemed to hit home. After dropping a 7-1 decision to the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday night, Grier may be getting ready for another tongue lashing. More than a handful of players were simply late to the party and the Sharks paid for it with another embarrassing loss.

18 days ago, the Sharks were steam-rolled by the Vancouver Canucks 10-1 at SAP Center. On Monday night San Jose would lose again, but by a more respectable 3-1 deficit. Sadly, a 2-goal loss is considered respectable for a team that just doesn't have the pieces to compete with upper echelon teams these days. The Sharks held serve for more than 30 minutes before an overturned goal would ignite the Canucks.

It took 17 games but the Sharks finally recorded a blow out victory. The fact that it came against a team on a 3-game winning streak and potential playoff contender in the St Louis Blues made it all the more rewarding for a team that hasn't had many successes this season. Mike Hoffman led the Sharks with a pair of goals in the win and Kaapo Kahkonen recorded 45 saves to earn his first win of the season, as San Jose rolled 5-1.

If the 2023-24 NHL season is supposed to be a series of lessons for the young Sharks, Tuesday night's 5-3 loss to the Florida Panthers will go down as the one that covers how not to play with a lead. San Jose grabbed an unlikely 3-2 lead in the 3rd period, then immediately went on tilt and allowed the Panthers to turn the final 10 minutes of play into a painful dose of reality. Chalk it up to a young team that forgot to finish the game after grabbing a lead. A harsh loss, but hopefully one they don't forget.

So much for Mike Grier's scolding. There's no doubt that the Sharks were out-classed by Vegas on Friday night, but losing 4-1 to the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday was a big step backwards for a team that is devoid of many positives. The Sharks held the Ducks to a 2-1 lead through 40 minutes, then buckled early in the 3rd to succumb to a team that has been refocused on a rebuild the last two seasons.

Start plotting the Stanley Cup parade route folks, because the Sharks have won two games in a row. San Jose followed up their 2-1 win over Philadelphia on Tuesday by sweating out a 3-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday at SAP Center. Fabian Zetterlund and Tomas Hertl each has a goal and an assist to lead San Jose. San Jose still sits in the NHL basement, but they've at least drawn even with Edmonton in standings points by earning their 5th point of the season.

The losing streak is over. After dropping their first 11 games to open the season, the San Jose Sharks finally won a game. It went down to the last second, but the Sharks pulled out a gritty 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers at SAP Center on Tuesday night. MacKenzie Blackwood stopped 38 shots to earn his first win in a teal sweater and San Jose finally puts 2 points up in the standings.

For Sharks fans who've been there the entire duration of the franchise, since 1991, the current tribulations are pretty much the worst we've experienced. And that's saying a lot, considering the team only won 11 games in its 84-game second season and lost 17 games in a row that campaign.

After giving up 10 goals to the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night, the San Jose Sharks surrendered another 10 tallies to the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins at SAP Center on Saturday night, falling 10-2. Erik Karlsson made his return to San Jose after being traded to Pittsburgh over the summer and put up a paltry 2-point night against his former employer, both assists. The Sharks have given up a combined 20 goals in the last 48 hours, and are now averaging 4.91 goals per game.

Alright, it would be easy to write a "Come not to praise Caesar but bury him" kinda article about the San Jose Sharks right now. In fact, it wouldn't even take much creativity and wit. So, let's just keep it clean and say that the 2023-24 season has not started the way anyone would have hoped. That goes for you, or any of your friends, who think the Sharks need to tank in order to get a high draft pick. New flash: they were always going to finish near the bottom. That's all they are built for. No one needs to cheer for losses, they will happen organically.