Ho-hum.
Just when you thought -- maybe -- these San Jose Sharks could shed their bad habits and become a shut-down, third-period lock? They go and blow another one in typical fashion.
And poof, there goes another seven-game winning streak.
After stealing a win from the Calgary Flames on Friday night by scoring two in the third themselves to emerge victorious, 2-1, the Sharks turned around and coughed up the lead today against the Dallas Stars.
Order has been restored to the universe.
San Jose lost in the overtime shootout this afternoon at HP Pavilion to end its win streak, although they did get the point for the standings and the postseason chase. But it's another win that should have been for the Sharks.
Through 38 games, San Jose has given up 35 goals in the third period, while scoring only 27 themselves. Good teams don't want to be on the negative side of the final frame's scoring ledger, of course.
It's a shame, too, as the Sharks' hot streak had taken them from ninth in the Western Conference to fourth -- which means home-ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs, and San Jose has the best home-ice record in the National Hockey League this season (14-1-5).
With the loss today, the Sharks fell back into fifth place -- which means no home-ice advantage, of course.
Every point they've let slip away this year due to third-period lapses? Keeps them from securing a better shot at the Stanley Cup.
San Jose gave up two goals in about a three-minute span in the third today, even after they'd surrendered two scores in a 26-second stretch in the second period to blow their first two-goal lead of the game.
Yes, you read that correctly.
No one fears the Sharks with a lead, because they have so regularly -- and so seemingly easily -- coughed up leads for the past three seasons. San Jose is soft, and the opponents know it.
Even teams like the Dallas Stars -- who traded away Jaromir Jagr last week -- can smell the blood in the water when the Sharks have a lead.
It should be the other way around, truly.
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