- Editor's note: Sheng Peng will be a regular contributor to NBC Sports California's Sharks coverage for the 2021-22 season. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
The San Jose Sharks have more talent than last year.
But as Thursday’s 4-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues showed, they don’t have enough – at least not enough to take an entire second period off.
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“We came in after the first [period], I think the chances 5-on-5 were 7-3 or 7-4 for us. We were doing some things well. Then in the second period, we went the last 12 minutes of the period without a [scoring] chance,” Sharks head coach Bob Boughner lamented.
SPORTLOGiQ offered additional context. In the first period, San Jose enjoyed a 7-5 Slot Shots on Net edge – but in the second period, St. Louis roared back 14-3.
That’s how Jake Middleton saw it: “There were high-percentage shots for them from the slot a lot of times throughout the game.”