Sharks coach blunt after loss to Panthers: ‘I think at times we play in fear’

The momentum the San Jose Sharks possessed at the start of this six-game road trip now seems like a distant memory.

The Sharks, after a turnover in their zone, allowed a goal to Matthew Tkachuk just 23 seconds into the first period and struggled to create many quality scoring chances at the other end in a 3-1 loss to the Florida Panthers on Saturday at Amerant Bank Arena.

Against the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers, the Sharks managed just 16 shots through the first two periods and finished the game going 1-for-7 on the power play. Only Tyler Toffoli’s power-play goal with 1:25 left in regulation prevented the Sharks from being shut out for the second time this season.

Goalie Mackenzie Blackwood finished with a staggering 50 saves in a terrific performance, giving the Sharks (10-15-5) at least a chance to bounce back after an 8-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday.

“Unbelievable,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said of Blackwood. “One of the best goalie performances I’ve ever seen. Stood on his head for us to be in that game.”

“He’s been amazing all season long and kept us in games, and tonight could have been 10-0,” Toffoli said.

Blackwood’s performance aside, the chasm between the Sharks and the NHL’s elite teams remains wide, a fact not aided by San Jose’s sometimes tentative play.

Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made 28 saves as the Panthers beat the Sharks for the 11th straight time dating back to Dec. 1, 2017.

“They have our respect. I think they have the whole league’s respect,” Warsofsky said of the Panthers, who improved to 17-9-2. “I think at times we play in fear, and we lose our swagger, and that’s where we’re at right now.”

The Sharks are rebuilding, and several of their younger players are still learning what it takes to win consistently. The Lightning and Panthers — who have combined to win three of the last five Cups — once again have all or most of the pieces to go on deep playoff runs.

“Tempo-wise, for sure, the fastest team we played against,” Sharks center Nico Sturm said of the Panthers. “It doesn’t matter if they play the best team in the league or the worst team in the league, they get everybody rolling top to bottom.”

The Sharks now finish their road trip with games against the equally challenging Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday and the improving St. Louis Blues on Thursday.

The Sharks began the road trip with a 4-2 win over the Seattle Kraken last Saturday and a 2-1 overtime victory over the Washington Capitals this past Tuesday.

Saturday, the Sharks dug themselves a hole early in the first period, as Blackwood and Jake Walman mishandled an exchange behind their net. Shortly afterward, Walman’s pass was intercepted by Sam Bennett, who fired the puck at the Sharks goal.

Blackwood stopped it, but with the puck still loose, an untouched Tkachuk got two whacks at it before he knocked it into the Sharks net.

Tkachuk later scored his second of the game and his 10th of the season at the 10:05 mark of the second period. Just 3:12 later, Aleksander Barkov added another insurance goal on a Panthers power play.

Indeed, the rebuilding Sharks would like to emulate the Panthers in many ways.

“They’re competitive, they’re big, they’re heavy. They get on you. They never quit,” Warsofsky said before Saturday’s game. “They come at you in waves. They’ve got good goaltending, and they’ve got the big defensemen. I mean, they’ve got it all, and that’s the reason why they won the Stanley Cup.

“But what I like is they’re ultra-competitive. (Panthers coach) Paul (Maurice) does a really, really good job. Not taking anything away from him, but I think he would say too, and I think I heard him say in the final where he was kind of steering the boat and the players were driving it, and that’s when you win.”

The Sharks were without rookie forward Will Smith, who was out with an upper-body injury he sustained in the lopsided loss to the Lightning. Smith, who has 11 points in 24 games this season, is considered day-to-day.

With Smith out, rookie Ethan Cardwell, who has sat out the last two games, drew back into the Sharks lineup and played on a line with Mikael Granlund and Klim Kostin. Warsofsky also made one change on defense, as Henry Thrun replaced Jack Thompson in the lineup.

DECISION NEARING?: With Marc-Edouard Vlasic nearing a return from an upper-body injury that’s kept him out since the start of training camp, the Sharks might soon have to make a roster decision on what to do with Thompson.

Thompson, on Thursday, made his first appearance for the Sharks since their Nov. 23 game against the Buffalo Sabres. He had 17:47 of ice time against the Lightning and was on the ice for three goals against, plus the Sharks’ only goal, scored by Alexander Wennberg.

Perhaps the Sharks’ simplest option — if there are no more injuries (Barclay Goodrow remains on injured reserve) by the time Vlasic is activated — is to return Thompson to the AHL since the 22-year-old remains waivers exempt.

Regarding Vlasic, Warsofsky said, “We’re inching closer to him joining us here in a hockey game and being available for us. We’re going to probably get through the weekend and go from there.”