- Editor's note: Sheng Peng will be a regular contributor to NBC Sports California's Sharks coverage for the 2021-22 season. 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.
Veteran Andrew Cogliano, just 30 games into his first season in San Jose, has proven to be an eloquent spokesman for the Sharks.
“We just have to be more desperate. We’re in a situation now where we’ve given some games back. And in a race that there’s a lot of teams in,” he acknowledged after the San Jose Sharks dropped a 5-2 decision to the Vancouver Canucks. “Our will to win needs to increase here.”
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This jibes with what an NHL scout told me while watching the Sharks lose their last game 3-1 to the cellar-dwelling Seattle Kraken: “They’re letting them hang around.”
After beating the Dallas Stars 2-1 on Saturday, San Jose was riding high after kicking off their homestand with two victories, the other against the Pacific Division-leading Calgary Flames. Their lone loss was to Central-leading Minnesota Wild.
This was the way to start a 24-day stretch, starting Dec. 7, where the San Jose Sharks would play nine home games and just one road game, Dec. 27 at Anaheim. So for 24 days, the Sharks weren’t going to leave California.