Sharks-Blues pregame: Quinn looks for response after embarrassing loss, talks NHL fine
Goalie Kaapo Kahkonen and the San Jose Sharks will look to bounce back from one of their most lopsided losses of the season Thursday when they face the St. Louis Blues to close out a three-game road trip.
The Sharks were pummeled 6-0 by the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday in Denver as they managed just 13 shots net and were shut out for the third time this season. Kahkonen was pulled early in the second period after he allowed five goals on 24 shots as he struggled for the second straight outing.
“They weren’t happy. They were (ticked). They were embarrassed. And we’ll find out how (ticked) and embarrassed they we’re at about 9:30 tonight,” Sharks coach David Quinn said Thursday morning. “It’s nice to say (you’re) embarrassed, but you’ve got to do something about it, and we get a chance to do something about it tonight and win a road trip.”
The Sharks are not making any lineup changes as defenseman Derrick Pouliot will play in his second straight game since he was recalled from the Barracuda on Tuesday. Nikolai Knyzhov, who had over 19 minutes of ice time Tuesday, will play in his third since he was brought up from the AHL.
Kahkonen went 2-4-1 with a .929 save percentage in seven games in February but has allowed 13 goals on 54 shots in two starts this month. Kahkonen is 8-15-5 this season with a .879 save percentage in 29 games.
Tuesday, the Avalanche, which entered the game on a three-game losing streak, scored three goals in the first 17 minutes of the first period and never looked back, routing a Sharks team that had beaten the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 in overtime on Monday.
“The lesson is we’ve got to move past (Tuesday) in a hurry, and I don’t care what the score is, it’s a loss,” Quinn said. “Obviously, it was a perfect storm for a lot of reasons, why the game unfolded the way it did and the lesson is, how quickly can you hit restart and put yourself in a better mindset to win a hockey game tonight.”
The Sharks are 13-16-4 on the road this season. Starting with Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Wild, the Sharks play nine of their next 13 games at SAP Center, where they have a record of 6-18-8.
QUINN ON FINE: The NHL fined Quinn $25,000 on Wednesday for his outburst against NHL referee Gord Dwyer on Saturday when the Sharks lost 8-3 to the Washington Capitals.
The question wasn’t whether Quinn might get fined, but why it took so long for the league to hand out supplemental discipline. Quinn wasn’t sure.
“I don’t know what the normal protocol is. I’ve never been in this situation,” Quinn said. “Like I said, I was embarrassed about what I did. I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. I can’t promise you it won’t happen again. It’s an emotional game and I think coaches are going to always stand up for their team at the right time. I understand why the league did what they did.”