Can rebuilding San Jose Sharks fix their steep offensive decline?

SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks are just past the halfway point of the season, and it’s fair to say they’ve been a more competitive team than last year.

Still, the Sharks’ offense has been in a deep funk for over a month, and finding solutions hasn’t been easy.

Starting with their 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals on Dec. 3, the Sharks have ranked 32nd and last in the NHL in the previous five weeks with an average of 2.13 goals per game. In their last 16 games, starting with that win in D.C., San Jose has managed just 23 goals during 5-on-5 play, which also brings up the rear league-wide.

That’s a steep decline from their 15 games in November, when the Sharks scored an average of 3.20 goals per game, 10th best in the NHL, and ranked fourth with 35 even-strength goals.

The result since the start of December has been an unsightly 4-11-1 record as the Sharks  have fallen to 31st place in the league’s overall standings with 32 points going into Friday’s road game against the Utah Hockey Club.

“The big thing is getting to the inside of the ice, and we’re a little in flux right now of when we want to put pucks on net with numbers there and when we want to hold on to the puck and keep the puck alive in the offensive zone,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said.

“You watch a lot of these teams, and there’s a high shot volume, but they put a lot of pucks to net. There’s a conscious effort to put pucks on net with bodies into the inside of the ice. When there’s guys in front of the net, we don’t put the puck to the net. And when there’s guys not at the net, we put the puck to the net.”

The Sharks’ four wins since the start of December were mainly the result of steady goaltending, not overwhelming run support, as Mackenzie Blackwood, Alexandar Georgiev, and Yaroslav Askarov combined for a .932 save percentage.

In their wins over Washington, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, and New Jersey, the Sharks combined to score a paltry 11 goals. In their 12 losses, they have scored a dreadfully low 23 goals.

Macklin Celebini led the Sharks over the last five weeks with 14 points in 16 games, and Tyler Toffoli had a team-leading six goals in that time. Injuries have played a factor, as winger William Eklund and defenseman Jake Walman both missed multiple games, with Walman still out.

But even with their ever-changing lineup, the Sharks, in general, have not done a good enough job finishing their opportunities.

“We’re getting chances. We’re getting shots,” Celebrini said. “I think it’s just capitalizing on our opportunities. We were doing that earlier in the year. We’d get opportunities, and we were good with finishing them. The puck’s laying around the net off rebounds a lot recently, and we can’t (put them in).”

“We’ve got to find that identity in the offensive zone,” Warsofsky said, adding they’ve tinkered “with some things, but it really comes down to getting your nose dirty and getting to the inside of the ice.”

That didn’t happen often enough in the Sharks’ 4-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday. San Jose was outshot 36-18 during 5-on-5 play as it struggled to consistently create quality scoring chances at even strength against the NHL’s best team.

“The more you shoot the puck, and get into those areas with rebounds or deflections, I feel like that’s how teams score goals nowadays,” Sharks center Alexander Wennberg said. “We don’t really get those rebounds or tips anymore. So we may be playing a little bit too much on the outside. So get involved, get a little bit dirty, and just find those goals, and after that, build some confidence.”

The Sharks are averaging 2.60 goals per game so far this season, an improvement over the 2.20 goals they averaged through 82 games last season. Nevertheless, the Sharks and general manager Mike Grier figure to have tens of millions in salary cap space this offseason to try and make upgrades at various positions.

Finding another top-six forward, plus bolstering the defense corps and a veteran goalie — either via trades or free agency — figure to be at or near the top of Grier’s to-do list as they try to level the playing field with a team like the bigger, more experienced Golden Knights.

“Our teams are not similarly built at all, so I don’t think you can compare ourselves,” Toffoli said. “They were Stanley Cup champions a couple of years ago, and a majority of their guys are still there. But they know how to win, and they’re playing like it right now.”

WEDNESDAY’S PRACTICE: Defenseman Cody Ceci and forwards Fabian Zetterlund and Nikolai Kovalenko did not practice Wednesday, with Warsofsky saying that all three “are a little nicked up.”

“We don’t think they’re too, too serious,” Warsofsky said of the players’ injuries.

Warsofsky said Zetterlund, also given a maintenance day on Monday, has a lower-body ailment. The Swedish-born forward “fought through it (Tuesday) night. We’ll see how he is tomorrow.”

Zetterlund has played in 147 consecutive games since he came to the Sharks in Feb. 2023 as part of the trade that sent Timo Meier to the New Jersey Devils. Overall, Zetterlund has played in 158 consecutive games since Jan. 26, 2023.

Zetterlund, a pending restricted free agent, has 27 points in 43 games, as he’s on pace to better last season’s total of 43 points. Still, Warsofsky was asked if the injury had slowed Zetterlund’s production.

“I think everyone’s playing through something right now on every team in the league, and he’s no different,” Warsofsky said of Zetterlund. “He’s obviously a tough kid. So, he’s doing everything he can to play every night.”

AWARD SEASON: On Wednesday, Askarov and forward Andrew Poturalski were both named to the AHL All-Star Classic at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert from Feb. 2-3.

Askarov will take part in the event only if he’s on the Barracuda roster at that point. He’s been with the Sharks since Dec. 18, a day after fellow goalie Vitek Vanecek was hit in the face by an errant puck and sustained a fractured cheek while sitting near the bench.

In 14 games with the Barracuda this season, Askarov went 9-4-1 with a .938 save percentage and three shutouts. He ranks first in the AHL in save percentage, is tied for second in shutouts, and fifth in goals-against average.

Poturalski, 30, has 33 points in 32 games with the Barracuda this season. Among all AHL skaters, he is tied for third in points. This is the third time he’s been selected to the AHL All-Star Classic.