After the Sharks’ sterling 4-0 start to the season, they have since gone 4-8-1, meaning they’ve won a bit less than one-third of their games after those first four. They are spiraling on a clear trajectory toward a third consecutive season out of the playoffs.

It’s a shame. There have been some brilliant games, particularly the past two Tuesday games, in Minnesota and Calgary. But these have been followed by multiple losses, including Saturday’s 4-0 snoozefest against Washington. It wasn’t like Caps goalie Ilya Samsonov was standing on his head in goal – the Sharks just couldn’t score. (Samsonov wasn’t even named one of the game’s three stars.)

I guess we had an omen of what was to come when the first shot of the night on Sharks goalie Adin Hill went right in the net. At least we all got to see one of the all-time greats, Alex Ovechkin, tally up some goals. (Unfortunately, he does not play for the Sharks, although he supposed rooted for the Sharks as a kid.)

The Sharks had us fooled with the 4-0 start – it didn’t last. And now, we’re settling in with a team that struggles to score and, maybe it’s just me, but it seems like the Sharks are usually on the short end of puck possession time. It doesn’t get any easier for the Sharks, with 14-2 Carolina coming in on Monday.

Good luck with that one. Moving forward, perhaps help is on the way with Evander Kane’s suspension sent to end on November 30 against the Devils – a game I’m unlikely to see because it’s been shifted to ESPN+, or as I like to call it, ESPN Minus, a service to which I don’t plan to subscribe. Another player who could be helping us now, William Eklund, was sent back to Sweden. That maneuver is starting to look like a real bonehead move.

With the Sharks struggling at the box office as well as in the standings, it would have been nice to have both Kane and Eklund on the team. But Eklund is gone for the season and we don’t know what’s going to transpire with Kane, giving the drama surrounding his situation. We’re going to need players like Tomas Hertl, Logan Couture and Timo Meier to step up their play a few additional notches. Or we’ll have nothing to look forward to again but perhaps another draft lottery pick.

Contact Paul at at paulkrill@letsgosharks.com