Warsofsky: Sharks need guys to step up after another winless start

LOS ANGELES – The San Jose Sharks made inauspicious history Thursday night as they had not won any of their first eight games of consecutive seasons following a 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings.

San Jose is the first team to hold the dubious distinction since the Boston Bruins in the 1960-61 and 1961-62 campaigns. The Sharks are 0-6-2 this season after opening last season 0-10-1.

First-year coach Ryan Warsofsky said the team could not allow such mistakes to become acceptable.

“This is the National Hockey League,” Warsofsky said. “This is the best league in the world and if you don’t enjoy playing this game then you’re in the wrong business and you’re on the wrong team and we’re going to weed those guys right out.”

Bad starts have become all too common for San Jose, after being outscored 12-4 in the first period. Mikael Granlund scored on the power play in the second and third periods to make it a game late, but Warsofsky said the 3-0 deficit in the first was too big a deficit to overcome.

Warsofsky was also critical of the lack of transfer of performance from game to game.

“We need a lot of guys to step up,” Warsofsky said. “Be more consistent night after night, and we’re just not getting that at all. A lot of passengers. And when a guy’s going to go, he’s not going the next night, so we’ve got to find some consistency in our game.”