Now on bigger stage, Sharks have started to wilt: It's kind of getting to us'

"CHICAGO The Sharks have been one of the NHL's most surprising and talked-about teams so far this season. They've had some rough spells, for sure, but it's largely been one feel-good moment after another as they've become playoff contenders after two straight years of finishing in the league's basement. Now the Sharks are dealing with the other side of that coin: enhanced expectations and added pressure."

"The Sharks lost their third straight game Monday as the Chicago Blackhawks capitalized on San Jose's dreadfully slow start and some sloppy defensive play to earn a 6-3 win at the United Center. The Sharks managed just one shot on net in the first period, had taken four minor penalties by the four-minute mark of the second, and simply weren't physical enough as they trailed the Blackhawks 5-1 midway through the game."

"What's worked for the Sharks for most of the season getting pucks behind the opposition's defensemen and using their forecheck disappeared on Monday, and has largely been absent since the first period of their game against the Edmonton Oilers last Thursday. When our forecheck is going, it feels like all three zones are going well, Sharks defenseman Vincent Desharnais said, and it's been a couple of games now that forecheck is not going and or it's going 10 minutes out of 60."

San Jose has transformed from a basement team into a surprise playoff contender but now faces elevated expectations and pressure. The team has lost three straight games, including a 6-3 loss at Chicago where a dreadfully slow start produced only one first-period shot, four minor penalties early in the second, and insufficient physicality while trailing 5-1. The Sharks' effective forecheck and puck-behind-defenseman strategy has largely vanished since the first period against Edmonton. Coach Ryan Warsofsky promised lineup changes and possibly Kiefer Sherwood's return, but personnel moves may not immediately fix persistent defensive lapses and inconsistent forechecking.

Read at www.mercurynews.com