NEW YORK — The San Jose Sharks lost by a football score to the New York Rangers.

I’m not talking about the 3-2 defeat, which is a football score, but an unusual one. Timothy Liljegren and Fabian Zetterlund scored.

Instead, I’m talking about the Sharks’ 21 giveaways, compared to the Rangers’ seven.

San Jose, frankly, played an immature game, veterans and youngsters alike.

“There’s examples that we show where there’s times to make plays with time and space, where you can let your skill come out and make plays and do your thing at the blueline. But there’s also times where there’s a d-man and K’Andre Miller and Adam Fox are right in your pocket, and there’s no play to be made,” head coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “We have to start realizing that really quickly, when there’s time to make plays, and when there’s times not, and when it’s time to fight another day.”

This was, once again, a winnable game for the San Jose Sharks — credit to them, the Sharks have had a lot of those this year — but it’s going to be a more mature team that wins them. San Jose fell to 5-10-3.

Of course, you want players to be creative, to make passes, to try stuff — but there’s a time and a place.

“Sometimes, I feel like we’re passing a little too much,” Alex Wennberg said.

That’s Alex Wennberg, a pass-first player of Joe Thornton-esque proportions, saying that.

After the game, Warsofsky spoke on Macklin Celebrini’s up-and-down game.

Barclay Goodrow talked about coming back to Madison Square Garden, Liljegren discussed his pairing with Mario Ferraro, and Wennberg touched on what the Sharks could improve on heading into the final game of this road trip in Pittsburgh.

Ryan Warsofsky

Warsofsky, on if poor puck management tonight was disappointing since it was a big message after the Philadelphia Flyers’ loss:

It’s a little disappointing because we had success in the first doing it the right way, with our identity, the way we need to play to win in this league. So of course, it’s disappointing that we go out in the second period and do the things that we do.

Warsofsky, on the line between being creative and playing simple:

There’s examples that we show where there’s times to make plays with time and space, where you can let your skill come out and make plays and do your thing at the blueline. But there’s also times where there’s a d-man and K’Andre Miller and Adam Fox are right in your pocket, and there’s no play to be made.

We have to start realizing that really quickly, when there’s time to make plays, and when there’s times not, and when it’s time to fight another day.

You almost play the odds, right? The odds of you going through Adam Fox and Trouba, and all these really good players and defensemen, it’s a low-percentage play, and we have to understand that. We have a young group that’s learning that. We’ve taken steps since the beginning of the season, but we still got a ways to go here.

Warsofsky, on Celebrini’s game:

He does some good things with the puck. Still some learning curve of he needs to understand of the little details and the puck play and getting into 50-50 races and winning pucks, but he’s done some good things with the puck. I think he’s still trying to find his way a little bit in the same time, but he’s obviously gonna be a special player.

Barclay Goodrow

Goodrow, on coming back to Madison Square Garden:

Obviously, would have been nice to get the win. But yeah, it was good to be back.

Goodrow, on how tough it is to beat Igor Shesterkin:

He got me a couple times. If you think you have a spot to shoot, he covers it up pretty quickly. So that’s why he’s one of the best in the league.

Timothy Liljegren

Liljegren, on how he’s transitioning to the San Jose Sharks and his pairing with Mario Ferraro:

Better for sure than in the beginning, partly because of physically and then with the structure as well. I’m working and I’m getting better. Feels pretty good.

I feel like we’ve been playing pretty decent. He’s obviously playing pretty tough, hard on bodies, and I feel like we complement each other fairly well, so I like playing with him.

Alex Wennberg

Wennberg, on how San Jose Sharks can improve for next game against the Pittsburgh Penguins:

We got to play a little bit more of a 60-minute game. Obviously, it’s not going to always be perfect, but if we just stay connected, keep paying attention to the details. I feel like when we shoot the puck, we’re creating chances. Sometimes, I feel like we’re passing a little too much.