The San Jose Sharks will try to locate their offense when they visit the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday evening.
The Sharks have produced just five goals in the past four games, losing three.
“We’re struggling to generate some scoring opportunities,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said after a 2-1 loss to the visiting Calgary Flames on Monday. “There’s no doubt about it.”
At the forefront of the struggles is Macklin Celebrini, who scored 45 goals last season in his second year in the NHL, but has gone the past six games without hitting the net.
Warsofsky said the forwards also need to create more of a net-front presence, and the defense can do a better job of jumping into the rush when the opportunity arises.
“Our game’s coming,” Warsofsky said. “I do believe in that. Of course, we’re frustrated. We all are, but this is where we’re at. This is what we get to work with. We’ve got to get moving on.”
The Sharks beat the Kings 5-4 in overtime in the second game of the season.
That was part of an 0-4-2 start to the season for the Kings, who continue to search for their groove.
They coughed up a 5-1 lead in the opener of the seven-game homestand on Thursday against the Ottawa Senators before winning 6-5 in overtime. Los Angeles followed that up with a 3-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.
“I thought we had chances to win the game,” Kings coach Peter Laviolette said after the latest defeat. “We didn’t get it done. So, frustrated again.”
One area the Kings need to improve is on the penalty kill.
Los Angeles is just 5-for-11 on the penalty kill in the past four games, dropping them to last in the NHL (61.5%).
“The penalty kill has a little bit more structure to it, a little bit more detail, and where we need to be better is with that structure and detail,” Laviolette said. “Things have to get executed in order for the penalty kill to be successful, and I feel like it’s just been off a little bit. So, those are areas that we’ve been trying to address and we’ll continue trying to address.”
Los Angeles forward Adrian Kempe returned to practice on Monday after missing the Buffalo game and he plans to play on Wednesday.
“I’m feeling better,” Kempe said Monday. “Yesterday was a lot better than the day before. Today, I waited until this morning to see how I felt before I came in, but good enough to where I felt like I could get out there and skate today. Hopefully, get a couple practices in before the game.”
Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke returned to practice on Tuesday after leaving at the halfway point of Monday’s practice.
Clarke also departed during the Ottawa game after taking a hard hit from Hayden Hodgson, resulting in a two-game suspension for Hodgson.
Kevin Fiala is still listed as week-to-week, but the forward is getting close to returning from leg fractures that occurred while playing for Team Switzerland at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Mats Zuccarello is still on injured reserve and listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury, but the forward has also been practicing in full.