CSN Bay Area

SAN JOSE –- No other NHL team is going to sympathize with the Sharks, who will remain without an injured Joe Thornton for the next two games.

That’s especially true if you’re Winnipeg. The Jets are down four of their top defenseman along with scoring winger Evander Kane, yet have remained in the thick of the playoff race and are 5-2-1 in their last eight.

The Sharks will play their second straight game without Thornton (upper body injury), but Winnipeg remains without Kane and defensemen Jacob Trouba (out the last 14 games), Toby Enstrom (13 games), Zach Bogosian (8 games) and Mark Stuart (7 games), all of whom were playing big minutes on the blue line before they were hurt.

'They’ve managed very well,' Todd McLellan said on Sunday. 'You could arguably take [Marc-Edouard] Vlasic, [Justin] Braun, [Brenden] Dillon and [Brent] Burns out of our lineup and then pull Jumbo out, and that’s what they’re dealing with. They’ve adapted very well, they’ve played hard, they’ve found ways to win games.'

'It’s actually a very good opponent for us right now because we can look at what they’re going through without a couple key people. They find ways for guys to step up.'

The Sharks found absolutely no one to step up on Saturday, as Thornton missed his first game since early in the 2010-11 season. Even though they led 2-1 at one point in the first period, San Jose never really seemed to be fully engaged or physically invested in the match, and was badly outplayed.

Now 1-3-1 in their last five games, the Sharks are again on the cusp of falling out of playoff position, although they only trail Los Angeles and Vancouver in the crowded Pacific Division by two points. They will be attempting to improve on their middling 10-8-3 road record with three games in the Central Time Zone this week.

Turning the page on the decisive loss to the Blues just two days ago will be paramount.

'It’s tough to because that was as poor of an effort as we’ve had I think in the past couple years that I’ve been here,' Tommy Wingels said. 'It’s very frustrating and disappointing, but we’ve got to put it behind us.' 

'We’ve got a really good test in Winnipeg. They’re one of the top teams in the league right now. If the effort is the same as it was [Saturday] night, we don’t stand a chance against anyone in this league. That’s first and foremost what we need to change, and there’s no doubt there will be a much better intensity and battle level.'

The Jets and Sharks currently occupy the two Western Conference wild card positions, with San Jose trailing Winnipeg by two points.

'We don’t see a lot of them, but at the same time they’re right around us,' James Sheppard said. 'They’ve got a lot of big bodies and they work really hard. It’s going to be a battle, but we’re ready for it and ready to perform.'