Sharks can correct Vanecek jersey screwup. Fixing offense is different story

SAN JOSE – There are no simple answers to fix all that is wrong with the San Jose Sharks’ offense.

But William Eklund has a couple of suggestions of where to start.

“Keep doing what we’re doing and being even more inside,” Eklund said after the Sharks’ 4-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday at SAP Center. “A lot of times you don’t score for a while, but our team has got to find a way to put the puck in the net, and the power play’s a big thing.”

Going into the start of their four-game road trip on Tuesday in Anaheim, the Sharks are 3-for-18 on the power play, including swing and misses on a pair of 5-on-3 opportunities. Such a chance came up in the second period Sunday, when the Sharks were trailing by a goal and had a two-man advantage for 70 seconds.

The Sharks worked it around the Avalanche zone but had just one shot on goal by center Mikael Granlund and missed the net on another attempt by defenseman Jake Walman. Of the Sharks’ 63 shot attempts Sunday, 16 missed the net.

“Our 5-on-3 needs to improve. It’s twice now that we’ve had opportunities that we need to capitalize,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “We need to get some Grade A chances, first and foremost, and then I think they’ll start going in.

“It’s something we’ve worked on, we’ve talked about, it needs to continue to improve. We’ll probably work on it again (Monday) and get better at it because it needs to (have an) impact on our game.”

Regarding goals scored, the Sharks are ahead of last year’s pace, but not by much, especially in the games they’ve played without Macklin Celebrini.

For the season, the Sharks have averaged two goals per game. Without Celebrini in the last five games, that average dips to 1.6.

Not enough, of course, unless the Sharks can get perfect or near-perfect performances from their goalies each night. Last season, on their way to a 0-10-1 start, the Sharks scored 11 goals in 11 games.

The Sharks brought in a handful of steady two-way players this offseason but only one true proven NHL goal scorer in Tyler Toffoli.

Whoops . Vitek Vanecek’s name is spelled wrong on his jersey tonight. #SJSharks Photo credit: INDTV USA pic.twitter.com/oYJfzdAf3F

— Max Miller (@Real_Max_Miller) October 21, 2024

Sharks goalie Vitek Vanecek stopped 18 of 21 shots Sunday. Maybe the most egregious error was how his last name was spelled on his home jersey: V-A-N-A-C-E-K.

The Sharks will get that corrected. Fixing the offense is another matter.

“I think there’s some systematic things that we do that get us to the inside,” Warsofsky said. “We’ve got to do it more consistently, I’d say, is the biggest thing.”

At the very least, Sunday, the Sharks were a harder team to play against than they were in Friday’s 8-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.

Ross Colton scored an even-strength goal at the 16:37 mark of the first period as he finished a pretty pass from Mikko Rantanen for a 2-0 Colorado lead. But that line, with Rantanen and reigning Hart Trophy winner Nathan MacKinnon, was pretty much played to a draw by the Sharks, as they gave up almost as many scoring chances during 5-on-5 play (six) as they allowed (eight) at even strength.

That’s one positive the Sharks can take into Tuesday against the Ducks, who beat San Jose 2-0 on Oct. 12.

MARIO’S CREW: About two dozen youth hockey players from a team called the SaberCats from near San Francisco sat in the lower deck in one end of SAP Center dressed as Super Mario, a tip of the cap to Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro.

I’m the Sabercats coach. Mario has been insanely generous with the kids for years. It’s the absolute least we could do. He’s an A+ human being. @SanJoseSharks pic.twitter.com/IYhQjNV7R3

— Jon Quick (@JQYYZSFO) October 21, 2024

“I’m the Sabercats coach,” Jon Quick wrote on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. “Mario has been insanely generous with the kids for years. It’s the absolute least we could do. He’s an A+ human being.”

“That’s a buddy of mine that kind of set that up with a bunch of the young kids that play on a team out by San Francisco, so it’s cool that they came to support,” Ferraro said. “I wouldn’t be here without people like that, so I’m grateful for them.”

Ferraro also said he could have made a better play on a third-period goal by Joel Kiviranta, who got behind the Sharks, took a pass from Josh Manson, and beat Vanecek for a 3-1 Avalanche lead.

“Just a little bit of missed coverage from the D zone. I don’t know. I should have done a better job before that play resulted in trying to get the puck up the ice, past their defenseman,” Ferraro said.

“Tried to make a direct pass, got turned over, and then 30 seconds later, they ended up scoring. Some struggle coming off the off the battle on the wall, some coverage struggle. But it starts with me. I’ve got to get that puck deep.”