BUFFALO \u2014 There are levels to the education of the San Jose Sharks.<\/p>\n
After the Sharks were left gasping by the dazzling Sabres, 29-5-2 since Dec. 9, in a 6-3 rout, I focused on how San Jose could learn to defend faster. Playing with pace is usually associated with offense but can also apply to defense.<\/p>\n
Just for example, slow defensive rotations doomed the Sharks on Jason Zucker\u2019s goal and Jack Quinn\u2019s second, which put the game away for Buffalo. This isn\u2019t even mentioning more obvious mistakes like John Klingberg in no man\u2019s land which led to Quinn\u2019s first or Sam Dickinson failing to take the body in a one-on-one on Beck Malenstyn\u2019s score.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s no secret, while the San Jose Sharks defend markedly better as a team that last year, they\u2019re still far from even average: They\u2019ve given up the second-most shots and goals in the NHL.<\/p>\n
San Jose will defend competently one day, and probably sooner than later. But after they get there, what next?<\/p>\n
Head coach Lindy Ruff, in his post-game press conference, laid out a challenge that his young-and-thrilling Sabres, which the Sharks hope to emulate soon, is facing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re up 2-nothing, you don\u2019t have to,\u201d Ruff said bluntly. \u201cWe started doing some dumb stuff which gave them some life. We got to get rid of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
That’s \u203c\ufe0f90\u203c\ufe0f points on the year for Mack. #TheFutureIsTeal<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/AgSb416RTC<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) March 10, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe invited danger. We made some cross-ice passes in our D-zone. We were in the neutral zone. We brought the puck back into our zone. That led to the beginning of the chaos,\u201d Ruff said. \u201cWe gotta to be smarter than that.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s coaching: Even a team with an .833 Points % since Dec. 9 can get better.<\/p>\n And it\u2019s not Ruff being a stickler. It\u2019s one thing to mess around with the Sharks, who are just hoping to stay in the playoff race.<\/p>\n \u201cOur guys love scoring goals. It\u2019s not a bad thing,\u201d Ruff said. \u201c[But] when you\u2019re leading games or you\u2019ve got a good lead, the kid that was on the ice there, 71, we didn\u2019t need to help him out.\u201d<\/p>\n Imagine, instead of No. 71, but it\u2019s No. 29 in the Stanley Cup Final?<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the stuff you\u2019ve got to understand,\u201d Ruff said. \u201cWhat if that fueled him into the next goal, now all of a sudden, we\u2019re in a 2-2 game?\u201d<\/p>\n On the other side, Warsofsky recognizes San Jose has a ways to go to get where Buffalo is.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes, we think we\u2019re working hard, but that\u2019s a whole \u2018nother level,\u201d he said of the Sabres. \u201c[That] team works. They skate, they skate to close, they skate in all three zones. They skate with the puck to get on the attack.\u201d<\/p>\n He agreed that Buffalo\u2019s pace was reminiscent of the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning, both Stanley Cup contenders who have toyed with San Jose this season.<\/p>\n The Sharks are going to get here one day, on some ridiculous hot streak, fueled by the scoring exploits of Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith and Michael Misa\u2026but it\u2019s a reminder that they\u2019ll still have a lot to learn, as the talented-but-untested Sabres still do.<\/p>\n Barclay Goodrow<\/p>\n Goodrow, on how San Jose Sharks can defend faster:<\/p>\n Guys just got to close quicker, whoever\u2019s man has the puck, you got to get on the puck quick, get it stopped up, get support coming over. If you give good players time and space, and they\u2019re able to make plays, cycling around the zone, obviously makes it that much harder to defend.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Alex Wennberg<\/p>\n Wennberg, on Kiefer Sherwood:<\/p>\n Great player. Not only does he score a goal, which is obviously important, but the physicality and energy, just everything around it. Overall, he\u2019s just a great guy in the locker room, as well. It\u2019s been a really good piece to add to us. It\u2019s just fun to see him here for another five years.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Ryan Warsofsky<\/p>\n Warsofsky, on how the San Jose Sharks can produce more offense besides Celebrini and Sherwood:<\/p>\n We got to play inside, get to the net, put pucks to the net. We gotta get more people at the net. And that\u2019s how you score this time of year. We\u2019ve talked about it enough.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Lindy Ruff<\/p>\n Ruff called Orlov’s hit on Thompson “a little bit on the cheap side” because it “cut his legs out”<\/p>\n \u2014 Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) March 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t