Sharks’ Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Start to NHL Season Defies Belief

Author:
Dan Gartland
Publish date:
Nov 3, 2023

In this story:

The Sharks’ godawful start to the season somehow got even worse Thursday night with a 10–1 loss to the visiting Canucks.

San Jose allowed three goals in the first eight minutes and never got back into the game. Through two periods, Vancouver was up 8–0 and held a 25–13 advantage in shots. The Sharks’ lone goal came on a power play in the closing minutes of the third period. Only a fraction of the announced crowd of 10,719 at the Shark Tank remained in their seats.

The blowout led to an incredibly sad tweet from San Jose’s social media team.

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The Sharks now have lost each of their first 10 games of the season, including nine in regulation. But even that doesn’t properly illustrate just how dismal this year has been for San Jose. Consider these stats:

The Sharks have allowed the most goals of any team in the NHL this season (45) and scored the fewest of any team in the league (10).
They allowed as many goals on Thursday night as they have scored all season long.
Their minus-35 goal differential is the fourth-worst in NHL history through 10 games, according to ESPN.
Their six even-strength goals are the fewest in a team’s first 10 games in NHL history, according to Sportsnet.
Every player on the San Jose roster has combined for 27 points this season. Meantime, brothers Jack, Quinn and Luke Hughes have 43. (20 for Jack, 16 for Quinn and seven for Luke.)
The Sharks’ 10-game winless streak is tied for the seventh-longest to start a season in NHL history. One more loss would move them into a tie for second.

This year’s Sharks are a shell of the team that finished with the fourth-worst record in the NHL last season. Leading goal scorer Timo Meier was traded to the Devils in February. Erik Karlsson, who led the team in points last year, was traded to the Penguins in August. Captain Logan Couture has not played this season due to a lower body injury and is rumored to be a trade candidate. There’s no telling how far San Jose could sink this season.