SAN JOSE – Less than two weeks into the regular season, the Sharks are still searching for balance.

The Sharks began training camp last month with the intention of playing a swarming defensive style meant to cut down on excessive goals and scoring chances against, their top issue from last season. After five games, they’ve made modest strides.

Now the problem is generating chances at the other end.

With their traditional and analytical offensive numbers ranking near the bottom of the NHL, the Sharks made significant changes to their forward lines in practice on Monday.

Igor Chernyshov replaced Mason Marchment on the Sharks’ top line, playing alongside center Macklin Celebrini and right wing Will Smith, and Marchment dropped to the middle six with center Alexander Wennberg and fellow winger Tyler Toffoli.

The Sharks made other tweaks with Michael Misa centering a line with wingers Ivar Stenberg and Kiefer Sherwood, and a fourth line featuring center Zack Ostapchuk and wingers Collin Graf and Adam Gaudette, with Ty Dellandrea mixing in.

The moves aim to boost the Sharks’ sputtering offense, which has accounted for just seven 5-on-5 goals so far this season. Advanced analytics on offensive zone time and quality scoring chances haven’t been much better.

“Trying to balance some lines out and really have a little bit more flow to it,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “That’s why we made the changes we made, and we’ll see how it goes.”

Going into Tuesday’s home game against the Boston Bruins, the Sharks, per Natural Stat Trick, and Columbus Blue Jackets were tied for 30th in the NHL with just 78 scoring chances each during 5-on-5 play, ahead of only the Los Angeles Kings (73). Both the Blue Jackets and Kings, though, have played one fewer game than the Sharks.

The Sharks, per NHL Edge stats, are 31st in the league in offensive zone time (37.4%), and 29th in defensive zone time (44.3).

Some of those dismal numbers this season can be attributed to Celebrini’s absence last week in games against the Dallas Stars (a 5-0 loss) and the St. Louis Blues (a 3-2 overtime win).

But the Edmonton Oilers also bottled up the Sharks at home on Saturday, when Celebrini returned. San Jose managed just two high-danger chances, both in the second period, as it remains dead last in the NHL in that category with just 22 for the season. The Sharks are also 32nd and last in the league in expected goals-for percentage (30.4).

It’s early, but the Sharks needed to do something after scoring just three regulation-time goals in their last three games.

“We definitely need some more (offensive) zone time as a group,” said Marchment, who scored in the Sharks’ season-opening win over the Florida Panthers on Oct. 1 but has gone four games without a point. “So maybe shake some things up and try to get some chemistry going and some more o-zone time.”

After the loss to the Oilers, Warsofsky hinted the Sharks might change their forward combinations to move the puck faster through the neutral zone and win more puck battles to stay on the attack.

The Sharks’ defense pairings on Monday matched the last three games: Darnell Nurse with Michael Kesselring, Jacob Trouba with Sam Dickinson, and Dmitry Orlov with Luca Cagnoni.

“We’ve just got to play quicker. We’ve got to be more connected,” Warsofsky said Monday. “I thought we were a little disjointed at times through our first five games. Obviously, we have some new guys trying to get up to speed in the systems and what have you, but we’ve just got to play quicker.”

The Sharks also adjusted their top power-play unit, with Stenberg replacing Chernyshov. The rookie winger joined Celebrini, Smith, Wennberg, and Cagnoni. The second unit had Toffoli, Misa, Chernyshov, Marchment, and Orlov.

The Sharks are 0-for-7 on the power play over the last three games and are 2-for-13 for the season, ranking 22nd in the NHL at 15.4%.

Asked why he feels Stenberg can be a fit on the top power play unit, Warsofsky said, “It’s probably just his composure with the puck on the half wall. The game slows down for him, and he can make some slick plays and understand where guys are.”

The Sharks face a Bruins team that has been one of the NHL’s stingiest, allowing just seven 5-on-5 goals in six games. Goalies Jeremy Swayman and Michael DiPietro have combined for a .920 save percentage, the fourth-best in the NHL.

“We want to play offense. We know we need to score goals to win,” Warsofsky said. “So there’s a balancing act to having that mindset of defending, but there are also ways to defend with the puck, and that’s really what we got to get to.”

NOTABLE

Warsofsky said winger Barclay Goodrow, who didn’t practice Monday, is dealing with an illness and is questionable for the game against the Bruins. If Goodrow remains unavailable, winger Massachusetts native Adam Gaudette will likely make his season debut.

Gaudette, who was activated from injured reserve on Saturday, told Bay Area News Group on Monday that he was injured on the second day of training camp.

“I’m ready to go,” said Gaudette, the Sharks’ sixth-leading goal scorer with 17 last season. “I’m waiting to get that opportunity, and I feel ready, feel improved off of last year, so I’m just really excited. Hopefully get a chance soon.”