The Sharks are now headed into the Olympic break, dropping their last game to the Avalanche, 4-2 in regulation. The score would have been much worse if not for the stellar play of Yaroslav Askarov, who kept the Sharks in the game all night. The Sharks have now lost 4 straight games and sit 5 points out of the final wild card spot.
This is a major shift from just a week ago, with the Sharks holding a 3-0 lead against the Oilers into the 3rd period, a dominant win away from pulling within striking distance of the 2 seed in the Pacific. One 3rd period collapse later, and the Sharks seemingly lost all the swagger they had been playing with up to that point. Putting together uninspiring efforts against the Flames and Blackhawks, and getting completely outmatched by the Avalanche. They now find themselves with a top 10 pick in the draft.
This has more to do with the parity in the league; if anything, most teams this season are hovering around the same point totals, which makes the wins extra important for the Sharks down the stretch. The Sharks have done a good job of avoiding long winless stretches. This 4-game skid is their 2nd longest of the season since their 0-4-2 start to the year. The Sharks can easily get back into the hunt with a strong push out of the break, and with one of the easiest remaining schedules in the league, they are still in an advantageous position.
Warsofsky said this on the Sharks' recent road trip.
"We got to get back to just competing and playing, and stop worrying about the standings, stop scoreboard-watching. Just play. We just got to play...Let's just see where the chips lie at the end of it."
Not many people expected the Sharks to be in this position in the fall, so it's all house money for Sharks fans, even if they miss the playoffs, the excitement of the young core will carry into next season, and the Sharks would be able to add further to their loaded prospect chest with two first-rounders expected to be in the top 20 picks in the draft. Not a horrible outcome, but given how this team has played this season, it would be a shame to see them fall short of the postseason.