The San Jose Sharks lost their ninth straight game to open the season Sunday. But to coach David Quinn and a few of his players, this one felt a little bit different.

Welcoming center Mikael Granlund back to the lineup after a seven-game absence, the Sharks hung onto the puck longer, improved their forecheck and breakouts and created a few more scoring chances — at least more than they had earlier on their road trip and during their season-opening homestand.

The result, though, remained the same, as the Sharks allowed third-period goals to Dylan Strome and Tom Wilson before they gave up an empty-netter to Evgeny Kuznetsov in a 3-1 loss to the Washington Capitals.

Mackenzie Blackwood was terrific in net as he made 39 saves. But as had been the case in seven of the Sharks’ first eight games, their goalie needed to be perfect for them to earn their first win of the season.

With the one goal, a first-period marker by Luke Kunin, the Sharks (0-8-1) became the ninth team in NHL history, and the second since the center red line was introduced in 1943, to score just nine goals or fewer in their first nine games.

“Right now we have such a thin margin for error,” Quinn said. “Usually if you only give up two goals, you like your chances. But right now, we’re really snakebit.”

On the tying goal at the 2:18 mark of the third period, Mike Hoffman tried to glove down a head-manning pass inside the Sharks’ blue line. Instead, the puck went off his hand and right to the Capitals. Strome later took a Nick Jensen pass and fired a shot that got past a screened Blackwood.

On a scramble beside the Sharks’ goal, Wilson chipped a puck over goalie Blackwood that went off defenseman Kyle Burroughs and into the net with 4:45 left in regulation time for a 2-1 Capitals lead.

Kuznetsov then added an empty-net goal with 58 seconds left.