The San Jose Sharks — at least this iteration of them — have not been in the playoff hunt before.

They weren’t supposed to be here this year.

And, boy, is that inexperience showing.

They’ve dropped 12 of their last 17 games, entering Monday’s slate five points back of the Nashville Predators, who hold that second wild-card spot with 75 points. San Jose is clutching just two games in hand like a couple of crumpled lottery tickets. The wheels aren’t just falling off the wagon; they’re rolling down the highway in the opposite direction.

And the guy behind the wheel, head coach Ryan Warsofsky, seems intent on hitting every pothole on the way down.

Yes, it’s all spinning a bit out of control for the baby Sharks, perfectly epitomized by Warso’s constant line tinkering and messaging so bizarre it feels like a typo.

“You got to earn your ice from here on out,” the coach declared after an embarrassing 5-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers last week.

This rigid proclamation came right after the team recalled defenseman Nick Leddy from the minors. You remember Leddy, right? Waived in January for poor play. Ignored by all 31 other teams on the waiver wire. Brought back up from the minor leagues after playing exactly one game at the AHL level.

His ice was earned.

“For four years, we’ve worked on development and getting guys better, kind of handing some things to some players,” Warsofsky said.

Handed, like Leddy’s ice time?

It was all deeply strange stuff, but that’s what pressure does to even the experienced. It’s hard to think straight.

Regardless, the new hard-line stance on playing time was a wet blanket tossed onto an overachieving team.

Whatever “freebies” Warsofsky was handing out before were clearly accomplishing something. Shifting your core philosophy with your playoff life on the line is like trying to change your golf swing on the 18th tee of a major.

And what has this newly minted meritocracy brought the Sharks? Two more losses, by a combined message-containing margin of 9-1.

It all leads to a must-win game against the Predators in Nashville on Tuesday.

And yes, I mean “must-win” in the literal, season-defining sense. Falling six points back with an overtime loss, or seven points back with a regulation loss, with only 13 games to play — and as many as three teams to jump — is a death sentence.

It’d be a bridge too far for a battle-tested squad that’s been through these kinds of wars before, much less a team like the Sharks, who are currently swimming in deeper waters than ever before.

The good news? If there’s one thing these Sharks know how to do, it’s pull out of a tailspin right before hitting the ground.

They started the season with six straight losses and survived. Things got shaky with a three-game losing streak before Christmas, but they stabilized. They staggered into the Olympic break on a four-game slide and bounced back. Even a three-game skid at the beginning of this month was immediately answered by two highly impressive road wins in Boston and Montreal.

This team might have been coddled by their head coach (am I reading between the lines right here?), but they sure did show a knack for buckling down and getting the job done.

If anyone has shown they’re not ready for primetime, it’s the man behind the bench, who seems on full tilt.

Alas, they’re all in this predicament together.

And it’s brought us to this season-defining moment: There is simply no more room left for error. Saturday’s loss to the Philadelphia Flyers at the Tank won’t be the last time they ever lose a hockey game, but this team’s current four-game losing streak absolutely cannot become five.

Another losing streak — even back-to-back losses — is entirely out of the question.

But these Sharks have shown they have guts, even if the brains of the operation — Warso — seems to be actively working against them at times.

Everything they have needs to be on full display Tuesday and beyond.

This team has played with house money for months — defying preconceived expectations and establishing new ones in the process.

Well, they’re down to their final few hands. Find another way to start stacking chips, or the house will find a way to win.

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