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Sharks coach McLellan doesn’t think he’s lost the room

Todd McLellan

San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan gestures to a linesman during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2011. The Sharks won 3-2 in overtime. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

AP

The San Jose Sharks have been the NHL’s worst team this month. Which is strange, because they were the league’s best team last month.

So, what’s happened?

According to head coach Todd McLellan, the message is still getting through to the players.

“There’s always talk about whether you have ‘lost the room,’” McLellan said, per the Mercury News. “You hear people use that phrase about losing your players’ attention or about a team losing confidence, and I always wonder, where does that happen -- do you lose it at the mall? I’ve been in hockey a while. I think you know when you’ve lost the room. I don’t think that’s happened.”

Here’s what Mercury News columnist Mark Purdy thinks is wrong:

The issue is secondary scoring. It has been absent in a significant way, really, since the beginning of last season after Wilson sent forwards Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi to Minnesota -- and in return essentially received defenseman Brent Burns and winger Martin Havlat. Burns and Havlat haven’t been terrible. They have just been either frequently mediocre or frequently injured.

In fact, the Sharks have scored just 12 goals in their last 10 games. Obviously, that’s not good.

But with 283 shots taken during that stretch, it means opposition goalies have combined for a save percentage of .958, which not even Craig Anderson (.952) can match.

So there’s probably an element of bad luck, too.

The Sharks host Colorado tonight and Detroit Thursday.