Sharks' Playoff Hopes on Life Support

For the NHL, it's March 20th, and here's what's going on.

The San Jose Shards wrote a wave of ups and downs over the past week from March 13th to

20th.

They kicked things off with a solid 4-2 win in Montreal, where Macklin Celebrini scored

twice and added an assist.

But momentum faded fast with losses to Ottawa's 7-4, Edmonton 5-3, and a tough 5-0 shed

out against Buffalo at home.

Now sitting at 32 wins, 29 losses, and 6 ties for 70 points, the Sharks have slipped

to 6th in the Pacific Division.

They're chasing Seattle with 71 points, Los Angeles at 72, and Vegas with 76.

Playoff odds sit at plus 140 to sneak in, putting them in must-win territory for their

final 15 games.

Anjuries are piling up and testing the team's depth at the worst time.

Tyler Tafoli is out with a lower body issue, and will miss Saturday against the Flyers.

Golly Yaroslav-Askarov remains day-to-day after sitting out five games, while Rookie

Igor Chernashov deals with a concussion and has missed the last three.

The scariest moment came early in that Montreal win when Cherni-Shoff took a hard hit to the

head, leading to a hospital visit.

On a brighter note, General Manager Mike Greer locked in the future with a $2-year $6-million

extension for Golly, Alex Nidelchkovich, and A, two-year deal for Ty DeLondre, who's

now on injured reserve until late March.

Defensive lapses have been brutal, giving up 17 goals over those last three losses, but

with the season winding down, the sharks still have a mathematical shot at the playoffs

if they can get healthy and string wins together.