A tight division is keeping the panic button out of reach for the San Jose Sharks.
However, more than a month of mostly negative results is becoming difficult to pass off with a second straight season out of the playoffs after 10 in them emerging as a distinct possibility.
Still searching for their first win of 2016, they host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night hoping to improve a dismal home record.
The Sharks (18-18-2) are 4-9-2 since the start of December after Thursday's 2-1 loss to Detroit. The defeat was their third in four games on a five-game homestand and dropped them to an NHL-worst 5-12-0 at home, with a league-low 38 goals.