Sharks have to fix sloppy third periods before NHL playoffs start

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For a long stretch of Tuesday night’s 4-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks, it looked like the Sharks had figured out things.

They held a lead for the bulk of the game. They had their captain back healthy, and he got right to work by scoring a power-play goal to give the Sharks a 2-1 lead in the first period. Even goaltender Martin Jones, who allowed the first goal less than two minutes into the contest, made some key saves that helped keep his team in the game -- saves when the Sharks needed them the most.

But the Sharks didn’t build on that initial lead. Instead of shutting the door, they let young, optimistic Vancouver hang around. Instead of scoring another goal or buckling down defensively, the Sharks watched the Canucks score three unanswered in the third period.

The Sharks had the opportunity to win but lost for the ninth time in 10 games. If they have any plans of getting past the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs -- which start next week -- that kind of let-up just can’t happen.

“Tonight, I think the biggest thing is that we had chances to break it open 3-1 and we failed to do that,” captain Joe Pavelski told reporters in Vancouver. “It felt closer out there today, for sure. A lot of parts of our game. But there’s still that ‘winning hockey’ that we’ve got to get to. For some reason, we haven’t gotten over that hump lately."

That certainly would easier if the Sharks were scoring as many goals as they were giving up. In the last 10 games, San Jose has scored 27 goals but surrendered 43. The Sharks have gone 7 of 36 on the power play in that same span, including a 1-for-4 performance Tuesday.

The Sharks are getting opportunities, but they aren't cashing in. That makes things all the more baffling.

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“It was going good tonight, and there’s, I don’t know. It’s frustrating how they end up finding a way to stick one in,” Pavelski said.

Perhaps the most frustrating part for the Sharks was that they didn't respond after the Canucks' bizaare game-tying goal. Tanner Pearson's tally, originally waved off before officials overturned the on-ice call (and upheld the goal when the Sharks challenged), should have prompted a San Jose push.

[RELATED: What we learned in Sharks' loss to lottery-bound Canucks]

Instead, Vancouver capitalized when Markus Granlund had room to scoop up a loose puck on Jones’ blocker side, and scored the game-winner. Jones kept San Jose in front with several key saves, but the loose puck proved to be disastrous when he wasn't playing with a lead.

Now time is almost up, and the Sharks have just two games left in the regular season to get into playoff shape and face the Vegas Golden Knights. The final two games, meaningless in the Pacific Division standings, now are San Jose's last chances to stop the bleeding.

If the Sharks are going to make a deep playoff run, however, they can’t let their opponent hang around late in a game like they did Tuesday.

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