from Matt Porter of the Boston Globe,

Not all good teams have it together in October (or December, right St. Louis?), so I’m willing to give the Sharks a pass for their early-season malaise. While they might be missing offseason departures Joe Pavelski and Joonas Donskoi a bit, and the goaltending remains a major problem, there’s enough firepower and leadership on the roster to pull out of the 4-8-1 hole they sat in entering Friday. And if not, GM Doug Wilson has shown a masterful touch in retooling his roster.

Their 5-1 loss Tuesday in Boston was their fifth game in seven days, three time zones away from home, on a 1-3-1 road trip. Causeway Street was the end of the line, and no one looked particularly sharp. It happens.

But if it goes on like this, and Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau are cooked (possible, given their ages) . . . they don’t get a save all year (by the way, shouldn’t the Coyotes listen to offers for Antti Raanta?) . . . and Erik Karlsson remains in a funk, the Tiburones could spend the second half trying to swim away from their first DNQ in five seasons.

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