DENVER — The Sharks are perfectly aware of what they need to do to slow down the Colorado Avalanche’s top line of Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen.
They need to rediscover that formula in a hurry, or the next time they visit Pepsi Center, their season may be on the line.
Two days after they cut off almost all of the Avalanche’s chances off the rush, the Sharks on Thursday were way too sloppy with the puck in their own end and in the neutral zone, particularly in the second period. That fed right into Colorado’s strengths, and the end result was a 3-0 Sharks loss that leveled the series at two wins apiece.