So far this season, the San Jose Sharks have an…interesting record. Four wins, three losses, and one overtime loss, but all four wins came in extra play and three came after losing the lead in the third period. Last night the Detroit Red Wings handed the Sharks their first overtime loss…again ceding the advantage in the third period. Players were understandably hard on themselves after the 4-3 loss in shootout, but it’s time staff took some accountability as well.
After the game Dmitry Orlov, reportedly unprompted, said “I think we lost because of me on the second goal.” Orlov was very irresponsible on the play, completely unaware of Red Wing Emmitt Finnie crashing the net behind him with absolutely no coverage, and it’s nice to see him take some responsibility for his role in the play that cut the lead down 3-2. While he quite frankly has been pretty awful this season (although he has managed to score a goal and record two assists), often fumbling the puck and struggling to keep up with opponents, it doesn’t seem fair that he and his teammates alone carry the weight of the loss.
The Sharks have so much potential, but it seems they can’t help but keep falling back into their old patterns. Poor management of lines, and individual players, is a recurring theme that never seems to be addressed. It would be nice if for once Head Coach, Ryan Warsofsky, said “what I did tonight didn’t work, I’m going to reassess and try to do better next game.” However, he seems quick to deflect solely on the roster.
Considering the incredible amount of young talented forwards on the team aside from Macklin Celebrini like Ivar Stenberg, Michael Misa, Igor Chernyshov, Collin Graf and Will Smith, one would think offense would come easily. However due to inadequate oversight of line combinations (what is Graf doing on the fourth line?), offensive production isn’t at the point it should be. Warsofsky also has a tendency to panic and not allow lines to properly mesh and develop, randomly hitting the alarm button and shuffling lines manically (even when they are working). He also has a very troubling tendency to rely quite heavily on Celebrini, and more or less allow him to coach himself. With this continued style, burnout is inevitable.
Plus, defense is an absolute mess. As previously stated, Dmitry Orlov has been disastrous. Yet for some reason, Warsofsky still insists on playing him a relatively substantial amount. The thought alone of Orlov getting a spot in the lineup instead of Luca Cagnoni is enough to send shivers down the spine, but that’s exactly what happened last night. While Cagnoni had a tough couple of games, sitting him didn’t feel entirely right…especially with Orlov flopping around out there.
Again, while it’s nice to see accountability being taken from players it would be great if Warsofsky took some too. The team is going to keep falling into the same pattern of blown, and narrowly recovered, leads and tough losses until there is some serious introspection done. The good news is, despite all this, the young stars continue to shine. The 19-year-old rookie Ivar Stenberg has 5 (2G, 3A) points in his last five games. Macklin Celebrini, being Macklin Celebrini, has 8 points (3G ,5A) in his last five games. The future is bright, but it probably isn’t with Warsofsky…despite his premature contract extension signed last month.
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