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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

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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

Thursday, March 27, 2025

Sharks 2024-25 Game 71 Recap: Sharks 6, Maple Leafs 5 (SO) (3/27/25)

San Jose earns its second consecutive victory and 20th win of the season, sweeping the season series over the Toronto Maple Leafs with a 6-5 thriller in the shootout.

The Sharks struck first in the opening period when Tyler Toffoli tapped one in one the doorstep for his 26th goal of the season, assisted by Lucas Carlsson and Tim Liljegren, the former assist being his third point in his first two games as a Shark. Later in the period, William Nylander tied the game for the Maple Leafs, while the Sharks went back ahead soon after on Collin Graf’s fifth goal of the year and first NHL shorthanded goal, assisted by Mario Ferraro.

Team Teal came out firing to begin the second period, extending their lead to two on Alex Wennberg’s ninth goal of the season and 100th goal of his NHL career, assisted by Tyler Toffoli and Tim Liljegren. A few minutes later, Toronto made it a one-goal game once more on a power-play goal by Auston Matthews. Later in the middle frame, William Eklund deflected one in off of his skate for his 17th goal of the season after he was gifted the puck by Leafs goalie Joseph Woll. About two minutes after, the Leafs responded via Scott Laughton to make it a 4-3 contest. Following these last two goals, second period also featured Will Smith hitting the post on a breakaway and a near scrap between Zack Ostapchuk and Max Domi that was immediately intervened with by the linesmen. This near fight resulted in a 4-minute double minor for roughing and ten-minute misconduct for Max Domi, two minutes for cross-checking for Zack Ostapchuk, and a Sharks power play.

Early in the third period, the Sharks regained their two-goal lead when Tyler Toffoli scored his second goal of the game and 27th goal of the season, assisted by William Eklund and Macklin Celebrini. In the final minute of regulation, the Maple Leafs made a serious push and scored twice via John Tavares and William Nylander to even the game at five and force bonus hockey. This roller coaster of a game eventually made its way to a shootout, in which William Nylander scored in the first attempt for the Leafs, while the Sharks followed that up with two beautiful goals from Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini to hold on and complete the season series sweep of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Alexandar Georgiev earned the win in net for Team Teal, recording 30 saves on 35 shots against. In addition, Cam Lund made his NHL debut tonight after the conclusion of his last NCAA season at Northeastern, while the Sharks recently signed defenseman Noah Beck to a one-year, entry-level contract beginning in the 2025-26 season. Beck most recently played for Arizona State this season, leading all Sun Devil defensemen in scoring with five goals, 28 assists, and 33 points.

The Sharks played well for most of their second game against the Maple Leafs this season, and this was certainly one of their most entertaining performances of the season. Also, I am thankful the Sharks were able to make up for allowing Toronto to tie and force extra time, get the job done in the shootout, and surpass their win total from last season. San Jose closes out its current eight-game homestand on Saturday against the New York Rangers at 7:30 pm PT.

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App, Sharks + SAP Center App, Curtis Pashelka via X

Saturday, March 22, 2025

Sharks 2024-25 Game 70 Recap: Sharks 3, Bruins 1 (3/22/25)

Team Teal defeats the Boston Bruins 3-1 to snap a 14-game losing streak to the B’s dating back to 2016.

The first period was scoreless, but it began with some fireworks early on, as Barclay Goodrow and Jakob Lauko fought near center ice at the three-minute mark, with Goodrow gaining the upper hand in this tilt. The Sharks struck first early in the second period on William Eklund’s 16th goal of the season, with Eklund recording goals in consecutive games. Macklin Celebrini supplied the primary assist on the opening goal, while Luca Cagnoni recorded his first NHL point on the secondary assist. Later on in the middle frame, a series of defensive miscues by the Sharks set up Casey Mittelstadt to easily score and tie the game at one for the Bruins.

Later in the third period, Lucas Carlsson scored his first goal as a Shark and the game-winning goal to put the Sharks ahead 2-1, with assists from Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini. Lastly, a few minutes later, the Sharks sealed the deal with an empty-netter by Barclay Goodrow for his fifth goal of the season, assisted by William Eklund and Lucas Carlsson, the latter of the two apples being his second point of the night to cap off a massive Sharks debut.

Alexandar Georgiev was back in net for Team Teal and had a huge bounce-back performance, registering 22 saves on 23 shots against. In addition, Lucas Carlsson was recalled from the Barracuda and made his Sharks debut, collecting two points, while Jimmy Schuldt was re-assigned to the Barracuda. On top of that, the Sharks signed forward Cameron Lund to his standard, three-year, entry-level contract, who has been one of Northeastern University's top scorers and players this season.

Not only was this a significant, satisfying statement win over a struggling Bruins team, but it was the first Sharks victory over Boston in just over nine years, and Lucas Carlsson made an immediate impact on the Sharks after his recent call-up from the Barracuda. On top of that, the Sharks’ top line of Eklund, Celebrini, and Smith performed incredibly well tonight, and Alexandar Georgiev played a major role in the Sharks’ win no. 19 this season, which matches their win total from last season. San Jose doesn’t play again until Thursday, when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs at 7:30 pm PT.

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

Thursday, March 20, 2025

Sharks 2024-25 Game 69 Recap: Hurricanes 3, Sharks 1 (3/20/25)

The Sharks were handed their fifth loss in their past six games by the Carolina Hurricanes by a score of 3-1, the latter of whom extended its win streak to eight games.

The Sharks struck first in the opening period on a shorthanded goal by William Eklund for his 15th goal and 50th point of the season. It came in unusual fashion, as Eklund was tripped by the stick of former Sharks defenseman Brent Burns on his way to the net, resulting in Eklund colliding into Canes goalie Frederik Andersen and the goal post, causing the net to dislodge. It was briefly reviewed by the officials, and they made the correct call of it being a good goal. Ty Dellandrea was credited with the lone assist on the Sharks’ opening goal of this contest. Certainly an unusual goal, but we and the Sharks will take them in any way, shape, or form any day of the week.

Carolina responded in the second period with Seth Jarvis scoring to tie the game at one. The Canes nearly went ahead soon after on a highlight-reel goal by Jackson Blake, but luckily the Sharks caught a break, as it was overturned after the replay review determined that Blake entered the zone offsides, or before the puck did prior to scoring.

Early in the third period, the Hurricanes redeemed themselves by scoring the go-ahead goal via Sebastian Aho. Later in the period, Carolina added insurance via Sean Walker to extend its lead to two.

Georgi Romanov made his first NHL start tonight against the Hurricanes and was decent, recording 26 saves on 29 shots against. In addition, the Sharks were the first NHL team this season to be officially eliminated from playoff contention after the Blues' 7-2 win over the Ducks on Sunday evening, while one of the San Jose's top blue line prospects, Luca Cagnoni was recently called up from the Barracuda and made his NHL debut tonight. On top of that, both Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Klim Kostin were out of tonight’s games, as they were both dealing with injuries. It is also worth noting that former Sharks and current Hurricanes defenseman Brent Burns has officially moved into fifth in NHL history for longest ironman streaks, playing in his 911th consecutive game and passing Sharks legend Patrick Marleau in the all-time ranks.

Overall, the Sharks got off to a good start and were very much in this contest, but they were not able to generate enough offense to keep up with the Canes tonight, which has become fully expected at this point. Next up, the Sharks host the Boston Bruins on Saturday night at 7:30 pm PT.

Sources: FanDuel Sports Network South, NHL App, Curtis Pashelka via X