San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky wasn’t happy with his team’s mistakes that led to three goals against the Vancouver Canucks.
View the original article to see embedded media.
“We gotta learn how to win. We have to understand what is going on in the hockey game,” Warsofsky said postgame. “We cannot have the brain lapses that we have, the line changes that we have, [the] puck play that we have and think we’re going to win hockey games in this league.”
More from #SJSharks Warsofsky:
“When we put pucks where we can get them for the forecheck, we have a good forecheck. We sustain o-zone pressure, but when we get pucks to the goaltender, and we don’t put pucks where they need to so we can forecheck, that is where we get into…
— Max Miller (@Real_Max_Miller) November 3, 2024
NHL EDGE’s player tracking visualizers are a great way to analyze what went wrong for the Sharks.
Goal #1
Canucks forward Pius Suter scored two goals benefiting from Jake Walman’s mistakes. In this first goal, you can see Walman, No. 96 in teal, throw a puck into the middle of the ice when he had time and space to make a play.
Not only could Walman have skated the puck up the ice, but William Eklund was wide open up the boards. Another option could’ve been to reverse the puck behind the net to Henry Thrun.
It appears Walman is trying to find Tyler Toffoli in front, which is a huge mistake. Blindly throwing a puck to the middle of the ice in the defensive zone is an essential thing not to do for any defenseman.
Goal #2
Warsofsky mentioned the Sharks line changes in his postgame comments. He was referring to Jake DeBrusk’s goal in the third period. No. 74 in white found himself wide open in the slot after Fabian Zetterlund and Will Smith changed at the wrong moment.
Mario Ferraro tried to get a puck out of the zone and down the ice but could not get past the red line. He didn’t have any support on the wing, allowing the Canucks to counterattack quickly.
Because Smith and Zetterlund changed with the puck still in their half of the ice, the Canucks had a 5-on-3 advantage in the zone, leaving DeBrusk completely unmarked.
Goal #3
Walman took accountability for Suter’s game-winning goal. The Sharks had good marking at the start of the play, but Walman was slow to find Suter in the slot after Blackwood was forced to make a save off a shot from the point.
The player tracking shows Suter, No. 24 in white, slowly back up towards the hash marks in the slot, and Walman, No. 96 in teal, not following him.
“We were in our end, and [I’ve] got to close quicker. That’s where I said, holding accountable. I got to take control of that play and be closer on my guy,” Walman said postgame. “Obviously, my guy put it in the net, and that’s on me, so I got to be better there. Hold myself accountable, and that’s just the standard that we got to go by. We can’t be letting that stuff slide.”
The three goals against are learning moments for the Sharks, but Warsofsky has every right to be frustrated. San Jose was 26 seconds away from at least one point in the standings and walked away with nothing.
Make sure you bookmark THN’s San Jose Sharks site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.
Newest Sharks Quickly Earning Big Opportunities
“We Worked Hard For It, And Finally, Everything Pays Off”: Fabian Zetterlund & Sharks Seeing Hard Work Turn Into Positive Results
Coincidence Or Fate? Sharks Host Canucks On Exact Date Of 10-1 Loss
Sharks Star Prospect Welcomes Himself Back To The OHL With A Bang
2020 Sharks First-Round Pick Signs Contract Extension With Predators
