Positive vibes surrounded the Sharks as they ventured out for a one-game road trip to face the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night.
San Jose had earned at least one point in four straight tilts, including back-to-back wins over the Kings last week. And after months of trade speculation, the Sharks inked their centerman Tomas Hertl to an eight-year contract extension Wednesday.
Despite all the positivity breaking up a rather bleak season, the Sharks came up empty Thursday night and were blanked 3-0 by goaltender Cal Petersen and the Kings.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
The loss marked the seventh time San Jose has been shutout this season. But the real struggle for the Sharks at Crypto.com Arena was staying out of the penalty box. The Sharks were whistled for a season-high six penalties. Although they only allowed one power-play goal, being short-handed for much of the game didn't allow Hertl and the Sharks to get into an offensive rhythm.
"It was a tight game all around for both teams," coach Bob Boughner said. "Both teams didn't give up much. We just took too many penalties ... it takes the gas out of the tank."
Petersen stopped all 29 shots he faced. Sharks goalie James Reimer notched 26 saves in the loss. Hertl, in his first game since signing the long-term deal, ripped a team-high six shots in 20:42 of ice time.
RELATED: Karlsson, Boughner see all smiles from Hertl after extension
San Jose Sharks
Find the latest San Jose Sharks news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
San Jose has a chance to rebound Friday night when it hosts the Colorado Avalanche. It has yet to be decided which Sharks goaltender will start between the pipes at SAP Center.
"I'll probably decide tomorrow, but I'm leaning towards [Zach Sawchenko]," Boughner said. "We want to come back with Reimer on Sunday. It's a lot of hockey. [Reimer] is still not 100 percent, so we want to be careful obviously because Adin Hill's not skating."