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Monday, April 7, 2025

Sharks 2024-25 Game 77 Recap: Flames 3, Sharks 2 (4/7/25)

San Jose performed well and held a one-goal advantage through much of this contest, but a third-period rally by the Flames sunk the Sharks in a 3-2 Calgary victory.

The Sharks struck first early in the opening period on Will Smith’s 15th goal of the season, assisted by Nikolai Kovalenko and Macklin Celebrini. Team Teal held its 1-0 lead until the middle of the third period, when the Flames scored three times via Adam Klapka, Morgan Frost, and Matt Coronato to take a 3-1 lead. The Sharks added one more goal with about two minutes remaining to cut their deficit to one on Will Smith’s second goal of the game and 16th goal of the season, assisted by Timothy Liljegren and Macklin Celebrini, but at that point it was a bit too little too late.

Georgi Romanov had a quality start against the Flames in the Sharks’ next-to-last home game of the season, recording 29 saves on 32 shots against. In addition, Tyler Toffoli is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, Shakir Mukhamadullin is done for the season and AHL playoffs with an upper-body injury, and Jimmy Schuldt was sent back down to the Barracuda.

This one went as expected: another close contest in which the Sharks remained in it until the very end but were not able to come out on top. On the flip side, Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini provided much of the Sharks’ offense, which is never a bad thing. Next up, the Sharks embark on their final road trip of the 2024-25 campaign for their next four games, starting on Wednesday in Minnesota against the Wild at 5 pm PT.

Sources: ESPN, NHL App, Curtis Pashelka via X

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Sunday, April 6, 2025

Alex Ovechkin Breaks NHL All-Time Goals Record

This may not directly involve the Sharks, but this is absolutely massive for hockey and sports in general: Alex Ovechkin has broken the NHL All-Time Goals Record, scoring his 895th career goal to pass Wayne Gretzky for the most goals scored by a player in his career in NHL history.

It occurred at the 7:26 mark of the second period on the Capitals power play, which was also Ovechkin’s 42nd goal of the season and assisted by Tom Wilson and Dylan Strome. Ovi’s initial celebration after breaking the record was diving onto the ice like he did into the fountain after winning the Stanley Cup in 2018, followed by all of his teammates mobbing him at center ice.

The Capitals vs. Islanders game at UBS Arena was then paused to hold a ceremony to honor this historic and potentially once-in-a-lifetime moment. Besides all of his Capitals teammates and the Islanders, Alex Ovechkin was joined by Wayne Gretzky, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, Capitals owner Ted Leonsis, and his mother, wife, and two sons to honor him on the blue carpet.

This officially cements his status as the greatest pure goal-scorer of all time and one of the greatest players in hockey history. It is truly amazing that The Great 8 has been able to continue his high level of production at 39 years old.

It is also worth noting that Alex Ovechkin is and has been one of my all-time favorite hockey players to have never played for the Sharks. This is not just for his pure goal-scoring abilities, but for his personality and physicality on the other side of the puck as well. I am even more grateful now to have seen Ovechkin in person at my most recent NHL game when the Sharks last hosted the Capitals on March 15, when at the time he had eight more goals to go before breaking the all-time record.

Overall, this is a truly remarkable moment not just for hockey, but sports in general. We may never see a talent like Ovechkin and a feat of this magnitude happen again, and I am extremely proud that The Great 8 has broken one of The Great One’s elusive records that once seemed impossible to touch. I hope Alex Ovechkin keeps going and starts the 900-goal club before he calls it a career, potentially as soon as before the end of this season.

Source: TNT

Saturday, April 5, 2025

Sharks 2024-25 Game 76 Recap: Kraken 5, Sharks 1 (4/5/25)

The Sharks fall to the Seattle Kraken 5-1 in their last Saturday night game and third-to-last home game of the season.

The Kraken scored twice in the first half of the opening period via Jared McCann and Andre Burakovsky to begin this one, while the Sharks responded later in the period on Will Smith’s 14th goal of the season, assisted by Tyler Toffoli and Macklin Celebrini, to get themselves on the board. Seattle scored twice more in the second period via Jaden Schwartz and Chandler Stephenson to make it 4-1 in favor of the Kraken. After Stephenson scored, Alexandar Georgiev was pulled from the Sharks net in favor of Georgi Romanov, with Georgiev finishing his night with seven saves on 11 shots against. Later in the middle frame, the Kraken extended their lead to four on Jared McCann’s second goal of the game.

The third period was scoreless, but this contest ended with frustrations completely boiling over for Team Teal, resulting in William Eklund’s first NHL fight, in which he faced off against Eeli Tolvanen, along with a roughing minor for Ty Dellandrea, cross-checking minor for Barclay Goodrow, and ten-minute misconduct for Zack Ostapchuk. Although this last-minute melee made the conclusion of this game more interesting, it was practically over at that point.

Georgi Romanov stopped 23 of 24 shots against in relief for Georgiev. In other news, yesterday Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky was named the head coach for the U.S. national team at the upcoming IIHF Men's Hockey World Championships in Denmark and Sweden next month.

On a more positive note, the Sharks will finish no better than 31st in the entire NHL, guaranteeing a top-four pick in the NHL Draft this year. It was great to see Stephen Curry in attendance at tonight’s Sharks game and the team treat a five-year-old cancer survivor and his family to an unforgettable weekend. Next up, the Sharks host the Calgary Flames in their next-to-last home game of the season on Monday at 7:30 pm PT.

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App, Curtis Pashelka via X

Thursday, April 3, 2025

Sharks 2024-25 Game 75 Recap: Oilers 3, Sharks 2 (4/3/25)

Another solid effort and close contest went for not, as the Sharks lose 3-2 to the Edmonton Oilers in Jake Walkman’s return to San Jose.

The Oilers struck first early in the opening period via Connor Brown, while the Sharks responded about two minutes later on Jack Thompson’s fourth goal of the season, assisted by Alexander Wennberg and Mario Ferraro, to tie the game at one. Early in the second period, Viktor Arvidsson put the Oilers back ahead by one, while the Sharks evened things at two not long after on Tyler Toffoli’s 28th goal of the season, assisted by Mario Ferraro and Macklin Celebrini. Later in the second period, Edmonton went back on top on a double deflection goal scored by Jeff Skinner to make it 3-2. With less than a minute remaining in regulation, Collin Graf had a prime opportunity to score the game-tying goal to force overtime, but Calvin Pickard made a big save to preserve the Oilers’ one-goal lead.

Georgi Romanov received the start in net for San Jose and performed much better than his previous start, registering 35 saves on 38 shots against. In addition, prior to this game, the Sharks called up goalie Gabriel Carriere from the Barracuda to back up Romanov, and Henry Thrun returned to the Sharks lineup after he was absent for some time due to injury.

Team Teal hosts the Seattle Kraken for one last time this season in their next game on Saturday at 7 pm PT.

Sources: ESPN, NHL App, Curtis Pashelka via X

Tuesday, April 1, 2025

Sharks 2024-25 Game 74 Recap: Ducks 4, Sharks 3 (SO) (4/1/25)

Despite coming back in the third period, the Sharks dropped their third straight contest in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks to wrap up a quick two-game road trip through So Cal.

The Ducks scored first early in the opening period on a deflection by Trevor Zegras shortly after Anaheim won the faceoff. Soon after, the Sharks responded with Shakir Mukhamadullin’s second goal of the season to tie it at one, assisted by Ty Dellandrea and Mario Ferraro, followed by Jackson Lacombe scoring to retake the lead for the Ducks. Anaheim extended its lead to two with just under a minute remaining in the first period via Sam Colangelo.

Early in the third period, Shakir Mukhamadullin was taken out of this game due to an upper-body injury after he was wrestled down by Frank Vatrano following Mukhamadullin’s hit on Troy Terry near center ice. The Sharks scored twice in the third period, beginning with Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s first goal of the season and in over a year at around the four-minute mark, assisted by Jack Thompson, and Alexander Wennberg’s tenth goal of the season at the 16:46 mark of the third period, assisted by William Eklund. The difference-maker came in the skills competition, when Mason McTavish scored to give the Ducks the extra point over the Sharks in this contest.

Alexandar Georgiev was solid in net against the Ducks, recording 34 saves on 37 shots, some of which were huge in critical moments. In addition, Jack Thompson was recalled from the Barracuda yesterday, while Luca Cagnoni and Patrick Giles were re-assigned to the Barracuda.

Although they did not earn the victory, the Sharks overcame a subpar first period and came back to force bonus hockey, which is certainly a huge improvement over their past two games. Team Teal returns home for its next three games, starting on Thursday against the Edmonton Oilers at 7:30 pm PT, which will be televised exclusively on ESPN+ and Hulu.

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App, Curtis Pashelka via X

Monday, March 31, 2025

Sharks 2024-25 Game 73 Recap: Kings 8, Sharks 1 (3/30/25)

The Sharks have dried up in practically all aspects of their game for the second straight contest in an 8-1 blowout loss to the Los Angeles Kings.

The Kings struck first early in the opening period on a power play-influenced goal from Philip Danault. Later in the first period, Adrian Kempe scored a power play goal to make it 2-0 LA through one period of play. Early in the second period, Team Teal scored its lone goal of the game on Cam Lund’s second NHL goal, which was assisted by Mario Ferraro. From the remainder of the middle frame, it was all Kings from there, as Los Angeles added four goals via Trevor Moore, Warren Foegele twice, and Adrian Kempe again to make it 6-1 through two periods of play. Late in the third period, LA completed its blowout victory by scoring twice more via Andrei Kuzmenko and Trevor Lewis to cap off an eight-goal performance by the Kings.

Georgi Romanov was given the start in the second game of this weekend back-to-back for San Jose, registering 28 saves on 36 shots against. In addition, Vinny Desharnais is currently day-to-day with an upper-body injury and did not travel with the team down to So Cal, with Jimmy Schuldt becoming available for the Sharks for the time being.

I was not expecting the Sharks to win against one of the best-performing home teams in the NHL this season in the second game of a back-to-back, but not necessarily a blowout defeat of this magnitude either. Overall, besides Cam Lund scoring his first two NHL goals, this has been a mostly forgettable weekend for the San Jose Sharks, and I am glad they can now move on from this with just under ten games left in their 2024-25 campaign. Next up, the Sharks visit the Anaheim Ducks for one last time this season on Tuesday at 7 pm PT.

Sources: Sharks Audio Network, NHL App, Curtis Pashelka via X

Saturday, March 29, 2025

Sharks 2024-25 Game 72 Recap: Rangers 6, Sharks 1 (3/29/25)

The Sharks didn’t have much to show for in a 6-1 lopsided loss to the New York Rangers to close out an eight-game homestand.

The Rangers struck first in the opening period on two goals from Artemi Panarin. It was nearly a 3-0 lead for New York in the first period, but the initial first goal prior to the two by Panarin that was scored by Jonny Brodzinski was immediately waved off due to Mika Zibanejad toppling over Alexandar Georgiev in the process of Brodzinski scoring.

The Broadway Blueshirts resumed scoring early in the second period via Adam Fox to extend their lead to three and made it a four-goal game early in the third period via Jonny Brodzinski. Soon after the fourth goal, the Rangers then made it 5-0 on Adam Fox’s second goal of the game. Later in the final frame, Vincent Trocheck made it 6-0 Rangers, while the Sharks finally got on the board on Cam Lund’s first NHL goal in his second NHL game, assisted by Collin Graf and Will Smith.

Alexandar Georgiev finished his night with 27 saves on 33 shots against. The Sharks’ best opportunity to get on the board earlier in this game occurred in the last three seconds of the second period on the stick of Alex Wennberg, in which he shot the puck and just missed the net.

Heading into the Sharks’ last of eight consecutive home games, I was expecting the Sharks’ positive momentum to continue since the Rangers collapsed against the Ducks in Anaheim the previous night, but it was quite the opposite. The Sharks got off to a slow start and performed poorly, resulting in them digging a deep hole that they couldn’t climb out of against a desperate Rangers team. Team Teal doesn’t have much time and energy to dwell on this particular loss, as they travel to Los Angeles to face the Kings tomorrow night at 7 pm PT, which will be nationally televised on ESPN.

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App