CHICAGO \u2014 \u201cLet\u2019s just be where our feet are.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s what both Ryan Warsofsky and Macklin Celebrini preached at the beginning of this five-game road trip.<\/p>\n
Whatever the reason, the San Jose Sharks have failed to do that, losing back-to-back games to teams behind them in the standings, 6-3 at the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday and 3-2 at the Calgary Flames last Saturday.<\/p>\n
The narratives are easy.<\/p>\n
The young Sharks are still affected by the collapse at the Edmonton Oilers last Thursday, when they blew a 3-0 lead to lose 4-3 in overtime, the beginning of their three-game losing streak.<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably has, to be honest with you, which is unfortunate,\u201d San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky said.<\/p>\n
For what it\u2019s worth, alternate captain Tyler Toffoli shot this down: \u201cIt sort of seems like that, but that\u2019s not the feeling in the locker room.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maybe the overconfident Sharks have, just a little, overlooked teams that they should be beating if they want to make the playoffs?<\/p>\n
Both Warsofsky and Toffoli put cold water on that.<\/p>\n
Or maybe, the media darling Sharks, after an impressive 10-4-1 surge from Dec. 27 to Jan. 29, are simply experiencing a normal drop in play?<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery team at some point in the season, we\u2019ll kind of go through a little of a lull,\u201d Vincent Desharnais said.<\/p>\n
The narratives are obvious, and true or false or a little bit of both, they don\u2019t really matter.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe outside perspective,\u201d Warsofsky said, \u201cthe people are talking about us, which I get it, but we got to ignore that.\u201d<\/p>\n
What matters is how the Sharks respond on Wednesday at NHL-best Colorado Avalanche, and after the Olympics.<\/p>\n
Macklin Celebrini<\/p>\n
Celebrini: “We all know what these games mean and how we need to play. It’s frustrating when we’re in this position, and we don’t do that, but we just got to be better.”<\/p>\n
\u2014 Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) February 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Vincent Desharnais<\/p>\n Desharnais: “I don’t think we need to panic. There’s definitely, every guy in this locker room has to look at himself in the mirror and just okay, how can I just be a little bit better? How can I help this team when we have all the answers in here, we just got to execute and do\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) February 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Desharnais, on whether the answer is in San Jose Sharks\u2019 room:<\/p>\n I can\u2019t really tell you exactly what happened or what it is, but think that, every team at some point in the season, we\u2019ll kind of go through a little of a lull and biggest thing is just to stick together and get out of it together. We know we have the answer in here. We know we have it. We just got to stick to it. Get our confidence back. There\u2019s one game left. You got to empty it out on Wednesday and go from there.<\/p>\n Desharnais, on the message to Askarov: “Can we blame him for tonight? I don’t believe so. We left him out to dry a bunch of times. When you start with three kills in the first period, it’s hard for a goalie to get in the game and feel confident. We gotta look at the players\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) February 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Tyler Toffoli<\/p>\n Toffoli, by the way, pooh-poohed idea of #SJSharks<\/a> still recovering from Oilers’ loss: “It sort of seems like that, but that’s not the feeling in the locker room, I think. We haven’t talked about it, to be honest. I think we’ve done a good job of moving on.”<\/p>\n Also shot down idea\u2026<\/p>\n