Yet To Play With A Lead, Sharks Say Biggest Fix For Game 5 Is Scoring First
SAN JOSE, CALIF: San Jose Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer called it the biggest fix his team needs to make if they have any hope of rallying in the Stanley Cup final.
On the verge of elimination after a 3-1 loss in Game 4, the Sharks have given up the first goal in every game so far. They have yet to play with a lead for even a second, trailing the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 in the best-of-seven series with Game 5 ahead at Consol Energy Center on Thursday night.
“We’ve been chasing the game the whole series by not scoring first,” DeBoer said after Monday’s loss. “We have to find a way to get on the board earlier in the game instead of chasing it all night.”
The Sharks are 10-3 in the playoffs when they score first and 3-6 when they don’t. They also owned the second-best record during the regular season when hitting the board first, boasting a 35-6-2 mark, which trailed only the President’s Trophy-winning Washington Capitals.