Sharks' 3-2-0 road trip defined by ‘priceless' comradery

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Despite back-to-back losses, it was a successful road trip for the Sharks. 

Winners of their first four games of the season, three of which came on the road, the Sharks had plenty of positives to take away from a challenging five-game road trip. 

Tuesday night's 3-1 loss to the Nashville Predators, though, was San Jose's second-straight loss, both of which were frustrating. 

“The second game in a row that we’ve come out and been scored on in the first couple minutes of the game," Sharks coach Bob Boughner told reporters after the loss. "That’s obviously not the game plan.”

“I thought we got better as the game went on, there wasn’t a lot of room out there. We had chances when it was 2-1 to score. We had a couple chances on our power play early that would have been the difference in the game. I like our power play. I thought we had some good looks, but we couldn’t buy that goal we needed. We ran out of time.”

Sharks goalie James Reimer, who stopped 23 of the 25 shots he faced Tuesday night and also took the loss on Sunday against the Boston Bruins, believed the two games were similar to one another. A quick, early deficit preceded a much better second period for the Sharks. 

“Yeah, our start wasn’t exactly what we had hoped for," Reimer told reporters. "I thought we turned the tide in the second and in the third, too. I thought our last (few minutes) was good, too. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t get the bounces.”

Boughner believes his team learned an early lesson on the road trip, while simultaneously strengthening their bond as teammates. Every team will benefit from a tight-knit group of players, but with the Sharks' combination of fresh faces and youth on the roster, this road trip could prove to be a priceless experience. 

“I think there’s a lot of good, I think there really is," Boughner said. "I think we got taught a little bit of a lesson getting away from our game at Boston. Tonight, we were trying to get a bounce early but we didn't. There’s a lot of good things, and I'm staying positive with this group.

"I know some guys had some good bonding time and they competed hard with each other. We’ll bring that home with us.”

Reimer echoed his coach's sentiment and believes experiences like these could carry the team throughout a long season. 

“I think sometimes it’s good getting on the road early and get some camaraderie and go for dinners with the boys and get that going," Reimer said. "I think that was a really good part of this trip to do that and get that going because that’s kind of priceless and will carry you through the year."

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As productive and important as this early road trip was to the fabric of the team, the Sharks are eager to get home and start a long homestand at SAP Center.

“It’s good to return home even though it’ll be a late night tonight," Sharks center Logan Couture said after the game. "A lot of guys will be excited to see their kids, that always re-energizes people when you get home and get to cook your own meals, see your family. Looking forward to getting home late tonight, spending the day at home tomorrow, re-energizing and then back at it on Thursday.” 

With a day off Wednesday, the Sharks will return to the Tank to face the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday at 7:30 pm. 

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