San Jose Sharks Embarrassed In Home Finale

Well, it’s official now. What’s been hovering around this San Jose Sharks team since their nosedive in February became reality Monday night as the Sharks were eliminated from playoff contention. For the first time in 11 years, there will be no postseason hockey in San Jose.

The Sharks responded in fine fashion by allowing the visiting Dallas Stars to score 28 seconds into the game and waltz to an easy 5-1 victory in the final home game of the season. It was a fitting end to a lost season for San Jose that saw them register a 19-17-5 record at SAP Center.

Colton Sceviour got Dallas on the board first as he beat Alex Stalock within the first minute of action. Things would get chippy from that point on as Mike Brown and Antoine Roussel would drop the gloves and the two teams would combine for 28 penalty minutes during the first period.

The Stars would take advantage of one of those Sharks penalties as Patrick Eaves would deflect home his 12th of the season on the power play to give Dallas a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

It would get worse for San Jose coming out of the break as Jamie Benn would score the first of his two goals on the night, this one on the power play, to make it a 3-0 game. Joe Thornton would respond with a power play goal of his own, his 16th of the season, from who else but Chris Tierney to cut the deficit to 3-1. Good for Thornton to put one home for the fans after everything he’s had to endured this season. He might have struggled down the stretch, but Thornton brought it for San Jose all season long.

The third period would only put a final exclamation point on a miserable night for the Sharks. Dallas would get goals from Benn, his 32nd, and Ryan Garbutt, his eighth, to crush San Jose and add to the embarrassment that was the 2014-15 season.

There’s not much left to be said about this Sharks group at the present time. With one game left on home ice, San Jose couldn’t show up for their fans that have suffered along with them. Instead, the fans got to see a lifeless team that allowed the Stars to dominate the game from start to finish.

Gear up for another exciting offseason in the South Bay because the fun is only just beginning for the Sharks.