Sharks' Third Period Collapse Trend Continuing to Plague Them

The San Jose Sharks have been struggling mightily in the third period all season, but for the most part it's been excusable since they've been walking away with two points in overtime. Last night, that luck ran out as they fell to the Detroit Red Wings in a shootout which resulted in their first loss outside of regulation.

As pointed out by Curtis Pashelka of Mercury News, the Sharks have blown a two-goal lead in four games so far this season. For context, last night was their eighth game. They've had a two-goal lead heading into the final 20 minutes and given it away in half of their games this season. Simply put, for a team with playoff aspirations, that's inexcusable. They need to figure out a way to close games within 60 minutes if they truly want to find success.

Ryan Warsofsky has been asked about this trend multiple times, dating back to prior seasons. When asked once again what needs to improve to maintain a lead on Saturday night, he replied: "Just our details. Knowing where we're at during the game... It doesn't feel like we're sitting back. We're still getting some opportunities, we're still pushing forward. Just for whatever reason this has gone on here for a little bit."

While things have been a bit better as of late, one of the biggest struggle areas for the Sharks this season has been 5-on-5 play. They currently have a -8 goal differential at even strength and have the fourth-worst expected goals for in the NHL. Their special teams have been carrying them somewhat, as they're slightly better middle of the road in power play efficiency with 23.1% The penalty kill has been just above league average, as they currently sit in 15th with a 80.8% success rate. 

While special teams success is certainly beneficial for a team, the majority of the game is played at even strength so that'll need to be the priority moving forward. 

If the Sharks truly want to find a way to have some success this season, especially in the playoffs, they need to figure out how to maintain a lead late in games. Blowing a lead to a team like Detroit, who entered the night near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, can be excused if it's a one off situation. At this point though, the Sharks have turned it into a trend.