The Sharks hit the mid-point of their 3-game road trip through Western Canada on Thursday night with a stop in Vancouver. Like the three previous games against the Canucks this season, the Sharks fell short. Significantly short. After losing 6-2 to the Canucks on December 27th, the Sharks short memory did little motivate any retribution. Vancouver finished off the season sweep with the biggest gut punch of the season, dispatching San Jose 7-2 at Rogers Arena.

The studious Sharks used the evening to buck up on a series of lessons. The only thing missing was recess. San Jose trailed by a single goal for moments, before the Canucks busted out the board of education.

Tomas Hertl cost the Sharks 6 minutes into the game with an egregious turnover at his own blueline. Attempting to make a pass the width of the rink, Hertl fell short when JT Miller stepped in front and skated in unencumbered. The Canucks forward was shooting fish in a barrel when he pumped a shot past James Reimer for his 29th goal of the season.

Vancouver added to their lead 2 minutes later when when Andrei Kuzmenko slipped a shot past Reimer for his 35th tally of the season.

Hertl atoned for his gaff by scoring at 9:34 to halve the Canucks lead. Erik Karlsson set up the goal with a pass off the right wing boards to Hertl at the left dot. The Sharks forward peeled toward the slot and picked a corner for his 20th goal of the season.

The Sharks thought they were headed to the 1st intermission down a goal, but Vancouver had other ideas. Conor Garland skated up the right wing as time was about to expire, but he spotted Dakota Joshua on his left wing, so he feathered a pass to his linemate as the Sharks defense prepared for the break. Joshua collected the puck, raced in on net, then deeked Reimer with a move to his right before sliding the puck across the goal line with 0.4 seconds left in the period.

It was a goal that only this Sharks could surrender. No urgency to lock down their own blueline made the Sharks look like a bad college program out on the ice.

Derrick Pouliot was sent off for interference at 10:07 of the 2nd period, giving the Canucks their 3rd power play opportunity of the night. The Sharks killed the penalty, but surrendered a goal moments after it expired. The Canucks worked the puck deep in the San Jose zone before Tyler Myers found Conor Garland unguarded near the right post. Garland used a sweeping backhand to finish the play for his 13th goal of the season.

A Jacob Peterson high sticking penalty put the Canucks on their 5th power play of the game at 8:06 of the 3rd period. The Sharks countered when Andrew Agozzino collected a Noah Gregor feed and raced up ice before snapping a shot past Thatcher Demko for his 1st goal of the season.

Vancouver answered immediately after Peterson's penalty expired when Vasily Podkolzin potted his 4th of the season.

Phillip Di Giuseppe added his 5th of the season 78 seconds later when he got a stick butt on a Quinn Hughes shot from the left point. Di Giuseppe was creating havoc in front of the Sharks net when Hughes shot came whistling in hot.

The Canucks took a bench minor for too many men with just over a minute to play, but Rick Tocchet refused to call of the dogs. Sheldon Dries added insult to insult by scoring a short-handed goal for Vancouver with 14 seconds left to play to cap the scoring.

Game Notes:

* Centerman Jacob Peterson made his Sharks debut on Thursday night,. Peterson was acquired in the trade deadline deal that sent Scott Reedy to Dallas. He earned his first point as a Shark with the secondary assist on Tomas Hertl's 1st period goal.

* Radim Simek returned to the lineup for the first time in 8 games. The defenseman was nursing an upper body injury that he sustained in the Sharks loss to the Washington Capitals on March 4th. By returning to the lineup he played in his 200th career NHL game.

* Matt Benning was a late scratch after the pre-game skate. Derrick Pouliot was announced as a scratch, but filled in for Benning at the puck drop.

* Nikolai Knyshov struggled in the game, taking a pair of bad penalties, and finishing the evening a -4. His only positive was a single blocked shot in the game.

* Sharks rookie William Eklund was injured in a game in Colorado on Wednesday night, as the Barracuda play out their dismal season. The forward fell awkwardly and was hunched over as he limped off the ice. The Sharks are calling it a day-to-day situation.