San Jose will try to cool off Matt Boldy and his linemates when the Sharks visit the Minnesota Wild on Friday night in Saint Paul, Minn.
Boldy had a goal and an assist on Tuesday as the Wild extended their point streak to six games (5-0-1) with a 4-2 win at the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Sharks have dropped three straight, the latest a 7-2 loss at the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday.
Boldy and linemates Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek are each carrying six-game point streaks into Friday. Boldy has seven points (two goals, five assists), Kaprizov has nine points (four goals, five assists) and Joel Eriksson Ek has eight points (four goals, four assists) during their streaks, which align with Minnesota’ 5-0-1 run.
Against the Flyers, Michael McCarron, Eriksson Ek and Danila Yurov also scored, and Jesper Wallstedt made 23 saves.
“I think we’re just playing with good details, trying not to force a game and let it come to us,” Boldy said. “When we’re detailed and play the right way, and we’re hard and defend, the offense comes. When we have that mindset and everyone’s contributing and playing the right way, we’re pretty tough to beat.”
Defenseman Quinn Hughes had an assist to extend his point streak to six games, as well (three goals, six assists). He has a point in 15 of 17 games this season.
Minnesota jumped out to a 2-0 first-period lead on goals by Boldy and McCarron.
“It’s kind of been like that all year for us,” McCarron said. “I think we’ve been having really good starts.”
Against the Kings, Macklin Celebrini and Ivar Stenberg each scored for the Sharks, and Yaroslav Askarov made 19 saves.
The Sharks have lost five of six and held a players-only meeting after the drubbing in Los Angeles.
“We’re not winning our battles, we’re not being hard to play against, we’re not making plays, we’re just — it’s not good enough,” forward Kiefer Sherwood said. “We have to turn it here. We have to stick together here.”
San Jose ranks near the bottom of the league in scoring (2.53 goals per game) and goals allowed per game (3.53).
“It’s got to change. We can’t let it seep into our game, but I mean, we got to be frustrated and not happy with the way we’re playing,” Celebrini said. “We know what we have in this room, and we believe in each other. We’re a team first and foremost.”
Celebrini snapped a six-game goal drought against the Kings.
San Jose has been outscored 14-4 over its past three games and has scored three or more goals only twice in its past six.
Defenseman Eric Pohlkamp, 22, played 17:37 and had three shots on goal in his NHL debut.
The Sharks complete their three-game road trip Saturday in Dallas and return home for games against the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins.
San Jose has won three in a row against Minnesota, sweeping the series last season. Celebrini had a goal and two assists in a 6-5 overtime win in the first meeting, Askarov stopped 28 shots in a 2-1 OT victory on Nov. 11, and Celebrini had a goal and an assist in regulation before tallying in a shootout to help the Sharks win 4-3 on Dec. 31.
