NHL: Fans Demanding Better Efforts From Sharks, Leafs

The San Jose Sharks and the Toronto Maple Leafs meet at the Air Canada Centre for the only time in this regular season, and they have similar goals: both are looking to end losing streaks, and both need some momentum to get back into their respective playoff races.

The NHL betting line has the visiting Sharks favored in this matchup, but it’s a tough one to call. Both teams have been repeatedly lackluster at a time when they should be playing with the urgency expected from clubs who are supposed to be gearing up for the postseason.

The Sharks got blown out of the water in Columbus on Tuesday by a 6-3 score as Jeff Carter notched a hat trick for the home side. It’s the most notable loss in a 1-4-1 road trip for San Jose, and they’re 3-6-1 in their last 10 games … hardly the stuff expected of a divisional leader.

Their slide comes at a bad time. Yes, the Sharks are in third place in the Western Conference as of this writing, but they’d be in seventh if they didn’t have two games in hand on the surging Phoenix Coyotes; both are at 69 points.

In the East, the Leafs are barely hanging on to eighth spot and also have two games in hand on the Winnipeg Jets. The two are also tied in points (65), while the Washington Capitals are still only two points behind despite their own on-ice troubles.

Since Feb. 7, the Buds have won once in seven tries, and many of those losses have been ugly displays of netminding and defense. They’re not giving head coach Ron Wilson the answers he and Leafs Nation are seeking, and they need to start finding some positive consistency.

This game could decide the fate of one of the Maple Leafs’ goaltenders. Both James Reimer and Jonas Gustavsson have looked monstrously bad lately, and Reimer is trying to ignore the hubbub over his recent performances.

It’s not like the Sharks can afford to point and laugh at them, either. Antti Niemi looked like a minor-leaguer against the Blue Jackets on Tuesday, yielding three goals on 11 shots in the first 15:18 before head coach Todd McLellan yanked him for Thomas Greiss, who fared only marginally better in relief. Their fans are similarly unimpressed.

Both the Sharks and Leafs have been mentioned as being in the hunt for Blue Jackets forward Rick Nash. Here’s an idea: whoever wins Thursday’s game also gets Nash, with a No. 1 goalie and a first- and second-round pick going the other way. Deal!