The Montreal Canadiens players still have eight games left to play, but we can understand that the thought of facing the San Jose Sharks in California on November 24th is making them sweat.
The Sharks (0-10-1) not only have yet to win after their first 11 games of the season, but they have allowed 10 goals in each of their most recent games.
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After being humiliated 10-1 by the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, they were beaten 10-2 by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. These two games came at home for the Sharks, who have now allowed 34 goals in six games in front of their fans since the start of the season.
“I liked our first period, then suddenly we were a different team,” Sharks head coach David Quinn commented on the bitter defeat against the Penguins on the National Hockey League website on Saturday. After we scored the third goal, we saw that the group was fragile.
“We have to look in the mirror,” said striker Mikael Granlund. That’s the truth, that’s where we are right now. We have to try to get better.”
Poor guards
Overall, the Sharks allowed 54 goals in 11 games, an average of 4.91 per game. The Minnesota Wild (4.18) and the Edmonton Oilers (4.10) are the other two clubs that averaged more than four goals per game. For comparison: the Canadian has a return of 3.36.
The situation inevitably leads to atrocious statistics among the Sharks’ goalkeepers. Mackenzie Balckwood has a goals-against average of 4.78, while Kaapo Kahkonen has a goals-against average of 4.30. Recalled from the American League on Friday, Magnus Chrona allowed four goals in just over 30 minutes against the Penguins. Three Pittsburgh players took advantage of this game to score four points, namely Jake Guentzel, Reilly Smith and Bryan Rust, while defenseman Erik Karlsson recorded two assists against his former team.
The worst start in history?
Overall, however, the Sharks didn’t get off to the worst start in NHL history, as the New York Rangers only managed to win in their 15th game in 1943-44.
The San Jose club’s next two games will also take place at home. The Philadelphia Flyers will be guests at the SAP Center on Tuesday and the Oilers on Thursday.