Sharks return to Denver, still looking to end skid

When the San Jose Sharks came to Denver on Dec. 17, they had dropped a close game at Arizona two days earlier, their first loss after winning three of the previous four games.

The Sharks lost to the Avalanche 6-2 on Dec. 17, and two weeks later they're returning to Colorado for a New Year's Eve matchup with their losing streak up to seven games, all in regulation.

The Sharks were 6-2-2 in 10 games before playing the Coyotes, but they have not been able to recapture that success. Their latest loss, 5-0, came at home to Edmonton on Thursday night, in goaltender Magnus Chrona's first NHL start. The rookie allowed four goals on 12 shots.

It was the latest in a string of disappointments for San Jose, which has the fewest wins (nine) and points (21) in the league.

"We just need to get back to doing our jobs, simplify, be hard," Sharks defenseman Kyle Burroughs said after Thursday's loss. "We can look at the structure and watch tape on that stuff, but a lot of it comes from work. A lot of it comes from the little things that made us successful there for that span of playing well defensively. That was our biggest asset in those games, and we've got to get back to that."

The Sharks haven't had a winning season since 2018-19 when they reached the Western Conference finals, and the losing is likely to extend to the fifth straight season. This is the third and final matchup of the season between the teams, with the Avalanche winning in a shootout and then in regulation.

Hosting a game on New Year's Eve has become a tradition for Colorado. This will be the ninth time since 2013 the Avalanche have played on Dec. 31, and in 2021 they had a game against Dallas postponed.

Colorado is coming off a 1-0-1 road trip that in the standings looks successful but is somewhat disappointing. The Avalanche blew a 4-0 lead in Arizona and lost 5-4 in overtime on Wednesday night, but bounced back to win at St. Louis 2-1 on Friday night.

They managed just 23 shots but scored late in regulation to escape with a gritty win.

"It's a character win," Ryan Johansen said. "We look around the room after the game and are just nodding at each other. That's how we need to win some games, especially on the road."

Colorado had lost six straight away from home (0-3-3) before beating the Blues.

Another streak that ended was Nathan MacKinnon's consecutive games with at least a point. MacKinnon had recorded at least one in 19 straight games but was held off the scoresheet and fell a game shy of tying Paul Stastny for Avalanche record.

The Avalanche played without third-line center Ross Colton, who left the game in Arizona after blocking a shot in the third period. Ben Meyers took his place in the lineup against St. Louis.

Colorado might have Samuel Girard back for Sunday night. The defenseman had been in the NHL/NHLPA Players Assistance Program but rejoined the team last week.

—Field Level Media