The San Jose Sharks played one of their most inspired games of the season last week when they beat the Minnesota Wild at SAP Center.
Tuesday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks, though, had to rank as one of the ugliest for the Sharks under first-year coach David Quinn.
Just five days after an impressive 5-2 win over the Wild, the Sharks allowed two goals in both the first and second periods in what became a defensively listless 6-2 loss to the Canucks at Rogers Arena.
The Sharks allowed even-strength goals to Bo Horvat, Elias Pettersson, Ilya Mikheyev, and Quinn Hughes in the opening 40 minutes as the Canucks took a 4-1 lead on just 15 shots by the 6:16 mark of the second period.
Horvat added a second goal in the third period to complete a three-point night as the Canucks beat the Sharks for the sixth straight time dating back to last season.
The Sharks have now allowed six goals to the Canucks in each of their three meetings this season, but San Jose’s problems haven’t been limited to one opponent. Through turnovers, defensive miscues and sometimes spotty goaltending, the Sharks (11-19-6) have now allowed five goals or more in six of their 10 games.
Timo Meier scored two goals for the Sharks and now has 300 points in 430 games for his NHL career.
Quinn was hoping his team could bottle some of that execution and compete level after a few days away. But the Sharks fell behind by two goals after the first 16 minutes and never totally recovered in what became their fourth loss in five games.
Vancouver’s first goal came after a rush as Mario Ferraro blocked an Ilya Mikheyev shot, but the loose puck was accidentally kicked by Tomas Hertl right to Horvat, who backhanded it past Reimer from the side of the net at the 4:26 mark for his 25th goal of the season.
Pettersson made it 2-0 at the 16:03 mark. Former Sharks forward Lane Pederson redirected a Luke Schenn shot on net, then got another shot away – without getting as much as breathed on by a Sharks defender – that Reimer saved.
Pettersson then swooped in and tapped the loose puck past Reimer for his 16th of the season.
Meier scored his 19th of the season as the Sharks converted their second power play opportunity.
After Logan Couture won a faceoff in the Canucks’ zone, Erik Karlsson found Meier at the side of the net with a pass beside the net, as he redirected the puck past Vancouver goalie Spencer Martin.
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