The Sharks made NHL history Saturday night at SAP Center. And not in a good way.
San Jose lost 10-2 to Erik Karlsson and the Pittsburgh Penguins for its 11th straight loss to start the season. The defeat came two days after San Jose lost 10-1 to the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.
The Sharks are the fourth team in NHL history to allow at least 10 goals in back-to-back games, and the first since the Boston Bruins in 1965. The ’65 Bruins lost 10-2 to the Detroit Red Wings and 10-1 to the Chicago Blackhawks in a three-day span.
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San Jose trailed 2-0 after 20 minutes of play, but Pittsburgh scored five times in the second period and three times in the third to make Karlsson’s return to the Bay Area into a laugher.
“I liked that first period. And then all of a sudden, we became a different team," Sharks coach David Quinn said after the loss. "That’s what happened in the game. They kept playing the same way, we gave up the third goal, and we're a fragile group."
San Jose’s goal differential (minus-42) also is the worst in NHL history through 11 games. The Sharks' goal differential the last three days (minus-17) would rank last among NHL teams this season. The team's 0-10-1 start to the season is the second-worst in league history, besting only the 1943-44 New York Rangers (0-11-0).
San Jose Sharks
Sharks forward Mikael Granlund was asked after the game if he has ever been through something like this over his 12-year NHL career. His response was simply, “No.”
“There’s no magic recipe out of this,” Granlund said. “You’ve just got to show up for the next thing and try to do things better. … This is where we’re at right now.”
The Sharks will return to the ice Tuesday to host the Philadelphia Flyers at SAP Center.