Sharks’ forced offense starting to ‘creep in’ amid four-game losing skid

Editor's Note: Sheng Peng will be a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. 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 are falling back on bad habits.

In their last game before holiday break, the Sharks gave an ugly Christmas sweater to their fans – and gave the Arizona Coyotes goal after goal in a 5-2 loss.

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“I think puck-watching and forcing offense is starting to creep in. Not creeping, it’s in our game, it’s there,” head coach David Quinn said about San Jose’s fourth-straight loss. “Until we get back to being consistent with doing the right things, shift in and shift out, we’re probably going to be on the losing end.”

Anthony Duclair made it 1-1, and Filip Zadina scored his first goal since Nov. 9 to keep it a one-goal game in the third period, but otherwise, tonight was yet another learning lesson at best for a young team that’s going through its growing pains. “Sometimes, failure is the greatest teacher, and this has to hurt so much, you say I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to feel like this, right? That’s really what it comes down to," Quinn said.