Sharks notes: Power play struggling; Wingels on Brown

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Programming note: Kings-Sharks coverage starts tonight at 7pm with Sharks Pregame Live on CSN California.

SAN JOSE – None of the injured Sharks players will return to the lineup on Thursday night against the Los Angeles Kings, although it seems that defenseman Paul Martin is progressing.

Martin skated for the first time with his teammates since he was hurt against New Jersey last Friday after catching a rut in the Prudential Center ice. He stayed out for extra work, too.

“Good step forward,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “He feels good, and we’ll just take it there day-by-day.”

[KURZ: Sharks morning skate: Martin still out as Kings invade San Jose]

Since losing Martin, the Sharks have surrendered 10 goals in their last two games. With the 34-year-old blueliner, they gave up just two goals combined in the first four games.

There are other factors at work in the Sharks’ sudden defensive downturn, of course, but losing Martin seems like a significant blow. His partner, Brent Burns, has been a bit too unpredictable for DeBoer’s liking, for example.

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“When [Burns is] playing his best, he’s walking that line where he’s doing his thing offensively and taking chances without it crossing the line into reckless. … Recently he’s probably been over the line a little bit, more I think because of the score. We’re playing from behind, he’s trying to get something going. His heart is in the right place, I just think we’ve got to pick our spots a little bit better.”

The Sharks recalled Bryan Lerg from the Barracuda with Joonas Donskoi still unavailable. The 23-year-old rookie skated on Wednesday and Thursday, so indications are he won’t be out too much longer.

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One facet of their game that needs to get going is the Sharks’ power play. After scoring twice against Los Angeles in the season opener, San Jose is just one for its last 11 chances.

Making it more difficult is that the Sharks have had just five power play chances in their last three games combined. What does that say?

“One, we’re on the road. Two, we’ve had a tough schedule. Three, I think when you’re controlling the play and the puck you have more ability to draw penalties,” DeBoer said. “I don’t think it’s a secret that we drew more penalties when we’re playing better.”

Tommy Wingels said: “You’ve got to earn time on the power play. The team hasn’t done a good enough job in doing that. This team, the way we work, we should be drawing four, five, six penalties a game.”

Still, DeBoer isn’t overly concerned yet.

“I think once the schedule evens out and we get some home games we’ll do better in that department.”

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Emotions tend to run high when the Sharks and Kings meet. That includes forwards Wingels and Dustin Brown on the Kings, who always seem to come together at some point during the 60 minutes.

When Brown injured Tomas Hertl back in December, 2013, it was Wingels who challenged Brown to drop the gloves the next game. Brown declined, according to the Sharks forward.

When Brown went helmet-first into Logan Couture in the neutral zone on Oct. 7, bloodying the San Jose forward, Wingels was seen having some words with the Los Angeles captain.

“For whatever reason it seems like when something happens on the ice, we’re both out there and we come together. It’s really nothing much,” Wingels said.

“Obviously there is a history with a couple things. Two teams, two guys who like to play hard. I think he tries to play as hard as he can, and that’s kind of the style that I like to play, as well. It’s just two guys trying to battle.”

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