What a difference a fortnight makes.
On March 13, the Sharks went into the last game of their homestand having set an NHL record with three consecutive third-period comeback victories. Two of these comebacks even happened against probable playoff teams.
The Sharks had a comfortable double-digit lead in the standings on the Phoenix Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings. With 15 games to play, a top-two seed in the Western Conference seemed a given.
When they started the game that afternoon with a 2-0 lead over the Florida Panthers, the problems of their slow starts appeared to be in the rear-view mirror. Then they seemed to be headed for an early exit to the season.
Florida came back with a goal in all three remaining periods—including the short overtime—to win the game. The Sharks' poor finish was followed by the team falling in a 3-0 deficit against rival Anaheim the very next day (a game they lost 4-2) and their worst loss of the season (an 8-2 debacle in Dallas) just two days after that.
The Sharks continued the pattern of poor starts by falling into a 2-0 deficit in the first five games of the road trip, losing all ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by MJ Kasprzak
San Jose Sharks Must Rebound From Weary Road Trip
March 25th, 2010 by MJ Kasprzak Leave a reply »
Advertisement