SAN JOSE — The Sharks have shuffled forward lines all season long and have tinkered with their defense pairs from time to time, all in an effort to help become more consistent.

Now, with one-third of the regular season already gone and the Sharks sliding in the Pacific Division standings, Pete DeBoer is shuffling the responsibilities of his coaching staff.

Steve Spott, who formerly worked with the forwards, will now be working with the defensemen, Dave Barr will now be on the bench working with the forwards and Rob Zettler will be moving from the bench to be the team’s ‘eye in the sky.’ For complete Sharks coverage

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Formerly, Barr was the Sharks’ ‘eye in the sky’ and Zettler worked with the defensemen.

The Sharks entered Tuesday in third place in the Pacific Division with a 13-10-5 record, three points back of first place Calgary but also just three points up on fifth place Edmonton. The Sharks host Carolina on Wednesday.

Before they began their five-game road trip Nov. 24, the Sharks were in first place with a 12-7-4 record. San Jose is 5-6-2 since Nov. 8.

“We’re close, but we’ve been close for 30 games now almost,” said DeBoer, who added that this was his decision. “A third of the season’s over and we’re not finding the right side of that line to get more wins.”

Spott officially joined the Sharks’ coaching staff roughly three months after DeBoer was hired as the team’s head coach in May 2015.

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Both Zettler and Barr were hired in July 2017, with Zettler at the time taking over the responsibilities of Bob Boughner, who had been hired as the Florida Panthers’ head coach.

“Fresh eyes, fresh voice, a little different perspective, hopefully some ideas on how we find that line,” DeBoer said. “I think we’re all in synch on how we want to play. But starting with me, it’s got to translate into wins. We’re close, but we’re not close enough here yet.”

Special teams have not been a major issue lately for the Sharks. Entering Tuesday, the power play was ranked 11th in the NHL at 22.8 percent and the penalty kill was ranked second (85.5 percent).

San Jose ranked 13th in the league in average goals-for per game at 3.04, but is 19th in goals allowed per game at 3.11, and according to Natural Stat Trick, ranks 31st and last in the league in high danger goals against at 43.

“As a group, we’re still searching for some consistency. We play great stretches of hockey not resulting in enough wins, so obviously not sticking with it long enough,” DeBoer said. “Our special teams are in a good place, analytics are, for the most part, in a good place, but it’s not resulting in wins.”

San Jose plays four games over the next six days, starting with a home game against Carolina on Wednesday night. The Sharks then play back-to-back games at Dallas and Arizona on Friday and Saturday, respectively, before they return home to play New Jersey on Dec. 10.

▪ Timo Meier was a full participant in practice Tuesday and appears ready to rejoin the Sharks lineup after a three-game absence with an upper body injury.

Meier, who was hurt in a collision with Buffalo Sabres defenseman Jake McCabe on Nov. 27, was on a line with Joe Thornton and Marcus Sorensen.

Meier has 13 goals and 23 points this season and at the time of his injury had a goal and three assists in his last five games.

“(McCabe) came right with the helmet to my upper lip and kind of got me right in the head there,” Meier said of the hit. “When looked at it on video, it didn’t look too bad, but at time, it felt like a pretty hard hit to the face.”

Other Sharks lines had Logan Couture with Joe Pavelski and Tomas Hertl, and Antti Suomela with Evander Kane and Joonas Donskoi. The fourth line featured Melker Karlsson, Kevin Labanc, Barclay Goodrow and Lukas Radil.

▪ It appears defenseman Radim Simek will be back in the Sharks’ lineup Wednesday. Simek, who was a healthy scratch for the Sharks’ first 27 games, made his NHL debut Sunday in Montreal as he was paired with Brent Burns’ in the Sharks’ 3-1 win over the Canadiens. The Czech Republic native finished with 13:19 of ice time and certainly added a physical dimension to the Sharks’ blue line.

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Sharks will soon make Bob Boughner their full-time coach, per report “I think part of our issue has been we’ve been a little soft in some areas,” DeBoer said. “A little soft on pucks, in some battles. That was really welcome, I think.”

“Maybe it’s my job. (Burns) is an offensive guy, and (Erik Karlsson), but I must play strong and be hard on the ice,” Simek said. “I think I did a good job.”

Simek, 26, had 27 points in 67 games with the Barracuda last season in his first year in North America, and signed a two-year contract extension with the Sharks in April.

“I felt really good because I played with (Burns) and he helped me every shift,” Simek said. “I’m really happy for my first experience in NHL. It was a big moment for me and my family, and for team because we (won) after four (losses).”