SAN JOSE -- A little fear can creep in after a loss like the one the Sharks suffered on Wednesday against the Jets. The fear that such a game can be the beginning of a stretch of rough games.
That loss can now be filed away under "Lesson Learned" thanks to a rebound effort they put on the ice in their 4-1 victory over the Kings on Friday. But it also shows that the Sharks are doing a better job as the season goes on at fixing the little things and getting back into the win column.
"It was a nice bounce-back game after last game," Sharks bench boss Peter DeBoer told reporters after the post-Turkey Day win. "I think, after the last game, we really wanted to come out and fix some things. And getting the first goal was important. I think we did some good things. I know the shot clock didn't show it, but I thought we created a lot of opportunities for ourselves."
He isn't wrong.
LA led the charge on the shot clock 34-22 on the day. However, San Jose had the upper hand where it counted, leading the Kings 3-0 with 7:02 left in the second period despite being outshot 17-8. Getting four goals before the second intermission -- and then not fizzling in the third period as they did in last Monday's game at Staples Center -- set the Sharks up for a nice win.
"It's important to get that lead," Joe Thornton said. "Last game we didn't have a very good game and we addressed that yesterday. So to come out here and to get two quick ones was huge. And in the second period to get two more."
This act of rebounding from a loss could be becoming a habit for the Sharks, Since dropping back-to-back games at the start of November, San Jose hasn't lost multiple games in a row, responding to losses to the Edmonton Oilers and the aforementioned Winnipeg Jets with strong victories.
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That ability to turn the tide is crucial for a team trying to turn their early-season misfortunes around. While the competition in the Pacific Division remains tight, San Jose's ability to rebound from a tough loss to a tough Western Conference team is a key to them getting into the playoff picture later in the season.
"You go through it every year, tough stretches," Martin Jones discussed. "It's obviously pretty important to get it turned around as quickly as you can and not let it spiral."
[RELATED: How Martin Jones went from undrafted to NHL goalie]
The Sharks have one more division matchup on their docket -- a Saturday night battle in the desert against the Arizona Coyotes -- before they face off against a bevy of Eastern Conference competition. Getting another win against a division rival, particularly one the Sharks are chasing in the standings, could set them up nicely before they head into the last month of the year.
If they can build off of their rebound win over the Kings, they should be in good shape.
