Sharks 2024-25 Game 60 Recap: Canadiens 4, Sharks 3 (OT) (2/27/25)

 The Sharks drop a second consecutive OT thriller, this time 4-3 to the Montreal Canadiens. 

With just about four minutes into this one, the Sharks get on the board first via Fabian Zetterlund on the doorstep for his 16th goal of the season, assisted by Will Smith and Alexander Wennberg. The Canadiens responded soon after  on a goal from Nick Suzuki to tie it up at one. Later in the opening period, the Sharks went back ahead on Nico Sturm’s sixth goal of the season, assisted by Klim Kostin and Collin Graf, while Nick Suzuki scored his second goal of the game to tie it at two with just under a minute remaining in the first period. Speaking of Nico Sturm, this also happens to be his first NHL game at the Bell Centre in Montreal, which I find shocking. 

Early in the second period, a lengthy puck battle in one corner of the ice in which no one was able to get the puck out from there led to Barclay Goodrow and Jayden Struble dropping the gloves and fighting. Later in the second period, the Sharks went back ahead on a beautiful shot by Will Smith for his ninth goal of the season, assisted by Shakir Mukhamadullin and Alexander Wennberg. 

Early in the third period, the same scoring pattern continues, as Alex Newhook ties the game at three for the Habs. After this goal was scored, it is worth noting that Henry Thrun exited this game and didn’t return due to an undisclosed injury. Off to overtime we go, but the same end result as the other night carried over to this one, as Cole Caufield scored to win it for Montreal and hand the Sharks their seventh straight loss. 

Alexandar Georgiev was back in net for Team Teal, recording 29 saves on 33 shots against. In addition, Timothy Liljegren was back on the Sharks blue line after missing the previous game due to injury, and Klim Kostin also made his return to the lineup after missing the past several games as well. 

Third periods have been the Sharks’ kryptonite as of late and they haven’t been able to finish games as a result. However, on a more positive note, they have been in more close games and have given themselves chances to win in recent games, unlike much of last season. Next up, the Sharks travel to Ottawa to face the Senators on Saturday at 4 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App 

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Sharks 2024-25 Game 59 Recap: Jets 2, Sharks 1 (OT) (2/24/25)

 San Jose held a one goal lead for most of regulation but allow the Winnipeg Jets to come back and win 2-1 in overtime. 

The Sharks opened the scoring late in the first period on a power play goal by William Eklund for his 12th goal of the season, assisted by Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith. This stood until 26 seconds remaining in regulation, when Josh Morrissey scored to tie the game at one for the Jets to force OT. To the surprise of absolutely no one, with just about one and a half minutes into the bonus period, Mark Scheifele scores the game-winning goal to complete the Jets’ comeback and earn them the extra standings point. 

Vitek Vanecek earned the start in the Sharks’ second game of this back-to-back set and was outstanding, registering 33 saves on 35 shots against. In addition, Timothy Liljegren was out of tonight’s game after he sustained an upper-body injury yesterday against the Flames, with Marc-Edouard Vlasic taking his place on the Sharks blue line. Carl Grundstrom was inserted into the Sharks fourth line in place of Walker Duehr as well. 

For much of this contest, it seemed as if the Sharks were about to pull off a miracle in Winnipeg, but unsurprisingly, they find another way to blow this one late and lose. Next up, the Sharks travel to Montreal to face the Canadiens on Thursday at 4 pm PT. 

Sources: Sharks Audio Network, NHL App 

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Sharks 2024-25 Game 58 Recap: Flames 3, Sharks 2 (2/23/25)

 Team Teal returned from the Four Nations break to begin a seven-game road trip with a 3-2 loss to the Calgary Flames. 

The Sharks began the scoring early in the opening period on Macklin Celebrini’s 18th goal of the season to retake sole possession of the NHL rookie lead in goals, assisted by Tyler Toffoli and Jake Walman. About four minutes later, the Flames tied things up at one via Nazem Kadri on the power play. 

Calgary took the lead early in the second period via Kevin Rooney, while the Sharks responded early in the third period on Tyler Toffoli’s team-leading 21st goal of the season, assisted by William Eklund and Shakir Mukhamadullin, to even the game at two. The primary assist by Eklund on the equalizer is his 30th apple of the season, which sets a career high for Slippery Pete. It is worth noting that Timothy Liljegren was hit hard in the second period and had to exit the game as a result. Later in the third period, Ty Dellandrea had to leave the game and enter concussion protocol after he was hit in the head by Connor Zary, while the Flames went back ahead 3-2 moments later via Joel Hanley. Luckily Dellandrea was able to return to the Sharks bench after having to enter concussion protocol. 

Alexandar Georgiev received the start in net in the Sharks’ first game back from the Four Nations break, recording 33 saves on 36 shots against. In addition, yesterday the Sharks had activated Nico Sturm from IR. 

The end result of this particular contest does not surprise me one bit, as I did not expect San Jose to be on its A-game in its first game in two weeks to begin a seven-game road stint. On the other hand, it’s great to see Macklin Celebrini and Tyler Toffoli pick back up where they left off and continue to be the primary drivers of the Sharks’ offense this season. Team Teal is back at it tomorrow, traveling to Winnipeg to face the Jets at 4:30 pm PT. 

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

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Canada Wins Four Nations Faceoff

 Team Canada wins the first-ever Four Nations Faceoff tournament, defeating the USA 3-2 in overtime in an epic championship battle for the ages. 

This one began with Nathan MacKinnon scoring the first goal of the championship early in the opening period for Team Canada. Later in the first period, Auston Matthews sets up Brady Tkachuk, who scores to tie the game at one. 

The USA gained its first lead of the championship game early in the second period on a goal via Jake Sanderson. Later in the middle frame, Sam Bennett went top shelf to tie it at two for Canada. The golden goal to win the Four Nations trophy came in overtime via Connor McDavid to win it all on the biggest stage for the Canadians. 

Connor Hellebuyck recorded 24 saves on 27 shots for the USA, while Jordan Binnington registered 31 saves on 33 shots for Canada. In addition, Nathan MacKinnon was named the Four Nations Faceoff MVP, scoring a total of four goals throughout this tournament. 

Other notable highlights from the Four Nations Tournament leading up to this point: The opening game of this tournament between Sweden and Canada produced some fireworks, beginning with Canada's top line of Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, and Nathan MacKinnon combining to score the first goal of the showcase. This first game resulted in a game-winning goal by Mitch Marner in overtime to defeat Sweden 4-3. The second game of this tournament between the USA and Finland resulted in a 6-1 blowout victory for the Americans, fueled by two goals each from Matthew and Brady Tkachuk. It was also great to see former Sharks forward Mikael Granlund score the game-winning goal in overtime in Finland's 4-3 win over Sweden in the third game of this tournament on Saturday. Later that evening generated the most epic and anticipated matchup prior to today's final between the US and Canada, which began with three fights in the first nine seconds. These three fights began with a tilt between Matthew Tkachuk and Brandon Hagel, followed by ones featuring Brady Tkachuk and Sam Bennett, and lastly between J.T. Miller and Colton Parayko. The Americans took this highly-anticipated rivalry matchup by a score of 3-1 on two goals from Jake Guentzel and one from Dylan Larkin to punch their ticket to the championship. In addition, the only goal scored by Canada in this big game in particular was a highlight-reel tally by none other than Connor McDavid. 

Overall, this is not the end result I and many others wanted, but it was an all-around incredible international best-on-best tournament. My initial expectations were somewhat low prior to the start of this tournament, but it certainly did not disappoint one bit. In fact, the Four Nations Faceoff tournament was a big win in helping grow the game of hockey in the US, especially since it had average Americans who generally don’t watch hockey talking about it. I watched most of the games that went down during this tournament, and they were absolutely better than a traditional all-star game. I prefer international best-on-best tournaments over traditional all-star games going forward, and I am looking forward to seeing what’s in store for the remainder of the 2024-25 NHL season and international best-on-best hockey in the coming years. 

Sources: ESPN, NHL App 

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Sharks 2024-25 Game 57 Recap: Stars 8, Sharks 3 (2/8/25)

 Team Teal began this game on a high note, but then the floodgates opened from there as the Dallas Stars dominated the rest of this game, taking this one 8-3. 

The Sharks got off to a great start to this one, scoring the first two goals early in the opening period. These occurred in the first few minutes, beginning with a magnificent behind-the-back pass by Macklin Celebrini to set up William Eklund for his 11th goal of the season, with Tyler Toffoli collecting the secondary assist on the opening goal.  Team Teal followed that up with Fabian Zetterlund’s 15th goal of the season to make it a two-goal game, assisted by Will Smith and Andrew Poturalski. However, this great start by the Sharks would evaporate, as the Dallas Stars responded with three unanswered goals from Matt Duchene, Jason Robertson, and Mason Marchment throughout the remainder of the first period to take the lead. 

The Stars resumed scoring in the second period, adding two more goals via Matt Duchene’s second goal of the game and Mavrik Borque to extend their lead to three. Dallas kept going in the third period, scoring twice more via Wyatt Johnston and Thomas Harley. San Jose got one back soon after on Walker Duehr’s second goal of the season, assisted by Carl Grundstrom and Ty Dellandrea, only for the Stars to answer back via Jamie Benn to regain their five-goal lead. 

Vitek Vanecek finished his night with 26 saves on 34 shots against. In addition, Collin White was recently placed on waivers for the purpose of being sent back down to the Barracuda, and Klim Kostin was activated from IR but did not play tonight. On the flip side, it’s great to hear that the Sharks rank at the top of The Athletic’s NHL prospect pool list. 

Heading into the Four Nations Faceoff break, the Sharks sit firmly in dead last in the entire NHL with 37 points and a 15-35-7 record. After the next two weeks, the Sharks resume action on the road in Calgary against the Flames on Sunday, February 23 at 5 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App, San Jose Sharks PR

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Sharks 2024-25 Game 56 Recap: Canucks 2, Sharks 1 (OT) (2/6/25)

 The Vancouver Canucks edge the Sharks 2-1 on a penalty shot in overtime in a close low-scoring affair. 

This game remained scoreless until around the eight-minute mark of the third period, when Dakota Joshua scored a power play goal to put the Canucks on the board first. With about a minute and a half remaining in regulation, Tyler Toffoli tied the game at one on his third whack at the net for his 20th goal of the season, assisted by William Eklund. This contest had to be decided in overtime, in which the Canucks would take this one on a penalty shot goal by Drew O’Connor. 

Vitek Vanecek was great in his first start since returning from IR but couldn’t get the win for Team Teal, recording 22 saves on 24 shots against. In addition, Nikolai Kovalenko has been placed on IR and won't return until after the Four Nations tournament break, while Ty Dellandrea was activated from IR prior to this game. 

Overall, it was another game for the Sharks in which they were sunk in a winnable one-goal defeat. Next up, San Jose hosts the Dallas Stars in Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci’s return to the Tank and its final game before the Four Nations tournament break on Saturday at 7 pm PT. 

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

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Sharks 2024-25 Game 55 Recap: Canadiens 4, Sharks 3 (2/4/25)

 It was a close match between the Sharks and Montreal Canadiens, but a late shorthanded goal by the Habs hands the Sharks their second straight loss by a score of 4-3. 

The Sharks struck first on the power play early in the opening period on a tic-tac-toe top-cheese goal by Macklin Celebrini for his 17th of the season, which continues to lead all NHL rookies. William Eklund and Tyler Toffoli grabbed the assists on Celebrini’s 17th NHL goal. Early in the second period, the Canadiens stormed back and took the lead on two goals from Cole Caufield and Alex Newhook. Later in the second period, it appeared as if Fabian Zetterlund had scored to tie the game at two. It was initially ruled no goal, but after further review by the NHL situation room, the call on the ice of no goal stood, as league officials didn’t get a definitive look at whether the puck completely crossed the goal line on that specific sequence. However, the Sharks made up for that soon after, as they officially tied the game at two on Collin Graf’s first NHL, assisted by Barclay Goodrow.

Montreal went back on top early in the third period via Brendan Gallagher for the Habs’ second power play goal of the night. Later in the final frame, Tyler Toffoli tied the game at three with his 19th goal of the season and the Sharks’ second power play goal of the night, assisted by Macklin Celebrini and Jake Walman. However, the Canadiens would get the last laugh, as they would score the game-winner on a shorthanded goal via Joel Armia to go ahead 4-3. 

Alexandar Georgiev recorded 16 saves on 20 shots against in the defeat. In addition, Vitek Vanecek has recently returned from his conditioning assignment, while Yaroslav Askarov was reassigned to the Barracuda as a result. In wake of the recent Granlund and Ceci trade, the Sharks called up Collin Graf, Shakir Mukhamadullin, and Andrew Poturalski from the Barracuda to fill those empty roster spots. On the other hand, Ty Dellandrea, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and Alex Wennberg did not play tonight. 

Despite being on the wrong end of this one, the Sharks outshot the Canadiens 30-20, Macklin Celebrini performed well in his two-point effort, and Collin Graf notched his ever-important first NHL goal. Plenty of positive takeaways from this contest for San Jose. Next up, Team Teal hosts the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday at 7:30 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App, San Jose Sharks PR, Locked on Sharks, Curtis Pashelka via X

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Sharks Trade Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci to Stars

 The Sharks have made a significant trade this morning, sending forward Mikael Granlund and defenseman Cody Ceci to the Dallas Stars in exchange for a 2025 first-round pick and 2025 conditional fourth-round pick. Both Granlund and Ceci are pending unrestricted free agents this summer. 

Mikael Granlund has been one of the Sharks' best and most consistent players this season and last season, while Cody Ceci has been and still is a solid, serviceable defenseman. This season with the Sharks, Granlund has 15 goals and 30 assists for 45 points in 52 games, while Ceci has four goals and 11 assists for 15 points in 54 games. At the time of this trade, Granlund leads the Sharks in assists and points this season and currently ranks 11th all-time in points, ninth in assists, and 14th in games played among Finnish NHL players. In total, during his two seasons with Team Teal, Mikael Granlund compiled 27 goals and 78 assists for 105 points in 121 games. He also finished the 2023-24 season on a 13-game point streak and nine-game assist streak, both of which are the second longest of any Shark in team history. In addition, as for Ceci, he leads the Sharks in time on ice (1,175:41), blocked shots (100), and ranks second among team defensemen in hits (52). Ceci provided one of the top highlights of the most recent Sharks game I attended on January 4, scoring the game-winning goal with about 24 seconds left in a 3-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils. 

As for the Sharks' return package for Granlund and Ceci, I anticipate that the Sharks' second first-round selection will be towards the end of the first round, while the conditional fourth-rounder will become a third-round selection this year if the Stars make it to the Stanley Cup Final. The Sharks now have a total of eight picks in the 2025 draft, two of which are in the first round. 

Overall, this trade should not come as a surprise one bit considering the speculation leading up to this morning, both players' pending UFA status, and the rebuilding Sharks still at the bottom of the NHL league standings this season. I preferred that the Sharks further pursued re-signing Mikael Granlund to a contract extension since he has been one of the Sharks' best and most consistent players this season and last season. Granlund has been a great mentor for many of the Sharks' younger players during this rebuild as well, and I will miss him in teal. However, the Sharks ultimately made the right decision to trade both Granlund and Ceci now and get something in return rather than lose both of them in free agency for nothing. 

Source: Sjsharks.com 

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