A two-goal lead with less than two minutes to play.
Most hockey fans would assume that kind of situation would result in a team coming away with a win and two crucial points in the standings.
But the Washington Capitals, who lead the NHL in points, rallied for two quick goals in the final minute Sunday and then closed the game out in overtime with a goal from center Lars Eller to hand the Sharks a devastating 5-4 loss.
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San Jose does pick up a point in the penultimate game of this east-coast trip, but two were there for the taking -- points that were desperately needed as the Sharks stand in sixth place in the Pacific Division.
“It is what it is, we win and lose as a team,” interim head coach Bob Boughner said after the loss. “We’ll just watch the game, and take the positives out of it.”
The Sharks have developed a bad habit of struggling in the final minutes of games this season.
56 goals allowed in the final five minutes is inexcusable, especially for a team with as much talent as the Sharks have.
“Obviously, when you’re up 4-2 with 1:30 left, you gotta close that out,” Evander Kane told reporters. “There’s no excuse for that. But what’s done is done.”
San Jose Sharks
Kane had a standout game, notching his third-career hat trick, all within the second period.
Obvious frustration is brewing in the San Jose locker room, as evidenced by those quotes, but there’s little time to sulk.
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The Sharks close the road trip with a visit to St. Louis to face the defending Stanley Cup Champion Blues on Tuesday.
While Boughner can find positives to take from the loss to Washington, moral victories don’t mean much when the Sharks have so far to climb to get back in the playoff picture.