SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Sharks were pinching pennies during the N.H.L. lockout in 2005 and decided that an organist was a luxury the team could no longer afford. For more than a decade, only recorded music revved up the crowd.



But two months ago, the same organist, James Mikey Day, was back at the keyboard when the Sharks defeated the Washington Capitals. When he began playing “Time of the Season,” a rock song by the Zombies, live music had returned.



That change is one of several recent moves by a franchise that, as it marks its 25th anniversary this season, has become more concerned about retaining and attracting fans in the competitive Bay Area sports market. Attendance remains respectable, but sellouts, once routine, are no longer automatic.



Even in the playoffs, tickets have gone unsold for the first time in franchise history. With the Western Conference finals between the Sharks and the St. Louis Blues, tied at 1-1, shifting here Thursday night, there were still hundreds of tickets available Wednesday.

