The San Jose Sharks may be going to the dance, but only after stumbling through the door with as little grace required.

One year removed from their first-ever trip to the Stanley Cup Final, the Sharks look set to enter the 2017 postseason amid their worst stretch of the season, having lost eight of their past nine games.

Contributing factors can be found throughout the veteran lineup, but there's no denying the lackluster play of netminder Martin Jones isn't helping matters.

The 27-year-old has done his club few favors with his performance over the past month. After getting pulled from San Jose's Friday night loss to the Calgary Flames, Jones has now posted just one win in his past six appearances, and has allowed a total of 23 goals over that span.

Jones excelled as a steady No.1 option during his first season as a full-fledged starter last year, coming up with a .918 save percentage and six shutouts for San Jose.

He started off 2016-17 in a similar spot, posting steady numbers over the first three months of the season - including a dominant November:

However, things took a turn once the calendar rolled over to 2017, and Jones has been in decline ever since:

It's that final row that his been the most significant thorn in the Sharks' side, as the club is lacking any semblance of momentum with the playoffs fast approaching.

San Jose has gotten some decent play from backup Aaron Dell, who's played seven of the club's March tilts - as opposed to Jones' 10 - posting a far better save percentage of .921.

But Dell's play down the stretch means little for San Jose.

With the Sharks set to come up against some of the most dominant offensive names in the game - particularly league scoring leader Connor McDavid, whose Edmonton Oilers are presently slated to face San Jose in the first round - the club is going to need every bit of their No.1's talent to weave together a meaningful run.

Unfortunately, right now they're getting the opposite. This March has been by far the worst stretch of Jones' tenure in San Jose, and his performances have been getting progressively worse as the month has gone on.

There's still time for a turnaround, and there's no question Jones has the talent to backstop San Jose to another shot at the finals, but the club is quickly running out of time for him to show that ability.

And with two more dates with Calgary and Edmonton to close out the season, it's not about to get any easier.

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