SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks are going to have the opportunity to play spoiler over the final two-plus weeks of the regular season as the final few spots and seedings for the postseason are determined.
That doesn’t mean it’s always going to happen.
The Sharks allowed two goals to Artemi Panarin in the first period and another to Adam Fox in the second and never recovered in a 6-1 loss to the desperate New York Rangers before an announced sellout crowd of 17,435 at SAP Center on Saturday.
Goalie Alexandar Georgiev struggled mightily as he stopped just 19 of the first 24 shots he faced, with ex-Shark Jonny Brodzinski and Fox scoring on back-to-back shots in the third period to secure the Rangers’ win.
Cam Lund, playing in his second NHL game, scored his first NHL goal with 2:15 left in the third period as the Sharks avoided the shutout.
The Sharks, at times, were plagued by puck management issues while also giving Panarin too much time and space on his first two goals, which came 1:54 apart, giving the Rangers a 2-0 lead.
Mostly, though, the pace and compete the Sharks played with in their 6-5 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday was nowhere to be found, as they ended their eight-game homestand with a 3-5-0 record.
The Sharks added some big bodies to their lineup at the NHL trade deadline, but they didn’t play big Saturday. Not even close.
The Sharks were long ago eliminated from playoff contention but still have the opportunity to spoil the postseason hopes – or affect their playoff seeding as they finish off the regular season.
The Rangers now have 77 points, two points ahead of the Montreal Canadiens and Columbus Blue Jackets for the second and final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Of San Jose’s 10 remaining games, eight are against teams that are either vying for a playoff spot or jockeying for a better position. Three come against the Edmonton Oilers, who are trying to move into second place in the Pacific Division for home ice advantage in the first round.
Two other Sharks’ games come against the Calgary Flames, with one more against the Minnesota Wild. Both teams are still trying to lock down postseason berths.
The Sharks’ opponent Sunday, the Los Angeles Kings, are in second place in the Pacific.
More importantly, Saturday’s loss kept the Sharks in 32nd place in the NHL’s overall standings. San Jose has 49 points, two fewer than Chicago.
Whichever team finishes with the NHL’s worst record will have a 25.5% chance of winning the draft lottery in May. The team that finishes 31st will have a 13.5% of winning the lottery.
The Sharks finished in last place last season, won the lottery and selected Macklin Celebrini, now their top-line centerman, first overall. The top player available in this year’s draft is widely believed to be Erie Otters defenseman Matthew Schaefer.
