SAN JOSE -- When the Sharks are good, they're very good. When they're bad, they're awful.
Team teal was the latter in a Tuesday night loss to the Carolina Hurricanes dropping a 3-2 decision in overtime with only 42 seconds left in the extra session.
The game winner was scored after a blocked shot resulted in a WIDE open net for Jay Harrison. Carolina hasn't lost in San Jose since 2005 which is really impressive.
To be honest, the Sharks were lucky they had a 2-1 lead which unfortunately they couldn't hold.
"It's tough, especially when they're wide open like that," Sharks center James Sheppard said. "We've got a lot better, that's not our best game. We've got a homestand here to prove it so we'll take what we can from this game but we know we have better for next game."
On the positive side, Brent Burns ended a 19-game goal less drought and Marty Havlat scored his fifth goal while Raffi Torres got his first assist of the season.
And it was a good night between the pipes for backup goalie Alex Stalock who would likely be a number one goalie on another team.
But the Sharks were not sharp against the Canes getting beaten to the puck numerous times. Although the Sharks won 42 percent of faceoffs the percentage was much worse for most of the contest.
The Sharks have lost home games to the likes of the Sabres, Hurricanes, Flyers, and Islanders. These teams are lousy and they made the Sharks look like beached whales.
And in talking about losing a game to a lesser opponent with 19 games left coach Todd McLellan said, "It doesn't matter who you're playing. Some of the teams that are further down in the standings and maybe looking to do different things at the (trade) deadline. They're tough to play as well because they're playing loose, they're playing free. They have nothing to lose so from here on in, it's tough."
Game highlights
Contenders
Alex Stalock - not one of the three goals allowed was his fault, he got no protection on the pucks that got by. Stalock stopped 32 shots and deserves another start but since it's the Penguins up next, most likely it'll be Antti Niemi in the nets.
Anton Khudobin - the Hurricanes netminder celebrated his $ 4.5 million dollar two year extension by playing a great game and making 35 saves to pick up the win.
Pretenders
Sharks players on the ice for the Hurricanes second and third goals. There was simply too much wide open space for goals like that. On the Lindholm goal, he could have been Moses, parting in this case the "teal" sea while the Sharks were all discombobulated.