CPF Hockey: October 2025

Thursday, October 30, 2025

Sharks 2025-26 Game 11 Recap: Sharks 5, Devils 2 (10/30/25)

The Sharks get their third win of the season and first win on home ice by taking down one of the top teams in the NHL in the New Jersey Devils by a score of 5-2.

Team Teal got off to a great start to this one, with William Eklund scoring the first goal of the game early in the opening period on a breakaway for his fifth of the season to maintain his current point-per-game pace, assisted by Philipp Kurashev. Later in the opening period, the Sharks extended their lead to three on Philipp Kurashev’s third goal of the season, assisted by Alex Wennberg, followed by Wennberg’s third goal of the season, assisted by Mario Ferraro and Timothy Liljegren. The third of the three first-period Sharks goals first appeared to be Mario Ferraro’s, but the puck last went off of Wennberg before finding the back of the net. With a minute remaining in the opening period, the Devils got on the board and cut the Sharks’ lead to two on a power play goal by Dawson Mercer.

San Jose added two more goals late in the second period to make it 5-1. These came via Will Smith’s fourth goal of the season, with Macklin Celebrini assisting to extend his point streak to six games, followed by Tyler Toffoli deflecting a shot by Dmitry Orlov for his fourth goal of the season, with Liljegren picking up the secondary assist on this goal. New Jersey made a bit more of a push early in the third period when Dawson Mercer tipped in a shot by Dougie Hamilton for his second goal of the game to make it a three-goal contest. Fortunately, the Sharks stood tall, remained in control, and never looked back.

Alex Nedeljkovic was fantastic against the Devils tonight and was one of the main factors keeping the Sharks in this game, recording 29 saves on 31 shots against. In addition, the Sharks placed Adam Gaudette on injured reserve and removed Shakir Mukhamadullin from injured reserve ahead of tonight’s game.

Not only was this a huge win for the Sharks, but the biggest reason why they were able to get this victory was that they were dominant, played a full 60 minutes, and did not allow the Devils to fully get back in this game. Macklin Celebrini is now tied with Nathan MacKinnon for the league lead in points with 17 and will not be letting up on his torrid pace anytime soon. Alexander Wennberg and Philipp Kurashev were certainly two of the Sharks’ top performers tonight, recording two points each. On top of that, the Sharks debuted their newest Heritage 2.0 jerseys on the ice tonight, and they look great and proved to be a good luck charm. Team Teal will look to keep this up when they host the Colorado Avalanche in their next game on Saturday at 1 pm PT. This next game review will be more of a personal experience post, as I will be in attendance for my third game at the Tank this season Saturday afternoon.

Sources: NBC Sports California, NHL App, Locked on Sharks

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Tuesday, October 28, 2025

Sharks 2025-26 Game 10 Recap: Kings 4, Sharks 3 (10/28/25)

Team Teal’s comeback efforts fell short as they dropped the first of four consecutive home games by a score of 4-3.

Unlike their past few games, the Sharks gave up the first goal of the game in their return home to the Kings via Corey Perry in the opening period. The Kings extended their lead to three early in the second period on goals from Jeff Mallott and Drew Doughty. Later in the middle frame, the Sharks would mount a comeback and score twice to make it a one-goal game. The Sharks’ two second-period goals came via Will Smith’s third of the season from Macklin Celebrini and Tyler Toffoli, followed by Philipp Kurashev’s second of the season from Alex Wennberg and William Eklund.

The Sharks tied the game at three in the third period on Alex Wennberg’s second goal of the season, assisted by Philipp Kurashev and Jeff Skinner. However, LA would get the last laugh, as Brandt Clarke would score what would end up being the game-winner to put the Kings back on top.

Yaroslav Askarov has certainly seen better days in the crease, recording ten saves on 14 shots against. In addition, John Klingberg returned to the Sharks blue line tonight, Nick Leddy was placed on injured reserve, and Patrick Giles was recalled from the Barracuda. Macklin Celebrini was named the NHL’s First Star of last week after going off for nine points in his previous three games and propelling himself to second in the NHL with 15 points through his first nine games of this season.

Despite being unable to score that go-ahead goal to possibly force overtime and win, along with being unable to make a timely save, the Sharks significantly outshot the Kings 40-14 and put up a good fight to stay in this game. It was also great to see Macklin Celebrini and William Eklund keep their point streaks alive, and Philipp Kurashev and Alex Wennberg record their best performances of the season so far with two points each. However, after seeing an all-time Kings-Sharks matchup stat presented during the ESPN telecast, history suggested that the Kings would prevail in this contest, and that is exactly what happened. Specifically, the Kings remain undefeated against the Sharks all-time when leading by three goals at any point in a game. The Sharks’ current home slate continues on Thursday, when they host the New Jersey Devils at 7 pm PT.

Sources: ESPN, NHL App, Curtis Pashelka via X

Sunday, October 26, 2025

Sharks 2025-26 Game 9 Recap: Sharks 6, Wild 5 (OT) (10/26/25)

The Sharks hold on in a nail-biter as they earn their second win of the season by a score of 6-5 over the Minnesota Wild.

Team Teal got off to another great start in this game, scoring the first goal on the power play via William Eklund for his third of the season, assisted by Macklin Celebrini and Dmitry Orlov. Later in the opening period, Michael Misa scored his first NHL goal to extend the Sharks' lead to two, assisted by Timothy Liljegren. However, the Wild would respond with two quick goals from Marcus Johansson and Marco Rossi to tie the game at two before the end of the first period. The Sharks went ahead by two in a span of 19 seconds in the second period on William Eklund's second goal of the game and fourth goal of the season, assisted by Philipp Kurashev, followed by Ryan Reaves' second goal of the season, assisted by Barclay Goodrow and Ty Dellandrea.

The Wild got back within one via Ryan Hartman early in the third period. The Sharks restored their two-goal advantage in the third period on a power play goal by Tyler Toffoli for his third goal of the season, assisted by Macklin Celebrini and William Eklund. Soon after, Zeev Buium scored for the Wild to make it 5-4, while Minnesota tied the game at five via Joel Eriksson Ek with close to two minutes left in regulation. Luckily for the Sharks, they were able to finish this one strong and earn the victory in overtime on Macklin Celebrini's sixth goal of the season to complete his day with three points against the Wild and nine points in the final three games of the Sharks' first major road trip of the season. This OT winner was potted on a breakaway opportunity and absolutely unreal.

Yaroslav Askarov earned his first win of the season for the Sharks, compiling 28 saves on 33 shots against. In addition, Adam Gaudette exited the game after the conclusion of the second period due to an upper-body injury.

While they allowed the Wild to come back and even tie the game at times, it was great to see the Sharks get their second win of the campaign in another overtime thriller and end their first significant road trip of the season on a high note. Macklin Celebrini is on another planet right now, William Eklund is heating up, and it was just a matter of time before Michael Misa scored his first NHL goal. Nearly everything went right for the Sharks in this remarkable victory, and I hope they continue to fire on all cylinders and stay hot. San Jose returns home for its next four games, starting on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Kings at 8 pm PT.

Sources: NBC Sports California, NHL App

Friday, October 24, 2025

Sharks 2025-26 Game 8 Recap: Devils 3, Sharks 1 (10/24/25)

The Sharks couldn’t fully capitalize on their great start in the second of back-to-back games as they fall 3-1 to the New Jersey Devils.

Like last night against the Rangers, the Sharks got off to a quick and fantastic start against the Devils, this time on William Eklund’s second goal of the season early in the first period, assisted by Macklin Celebrini. Soon after, the Sharks almost made it 2-0 via Philipp Kurashev, but the refs immediately waved it off due to a rather obvious high touch. Later on towards the middle of the opening period, Yaroslav Askarov made his best save of the season and one of the best saves of his career so far, diving and stopping a shot by Nico Hischier with his left blocker.

Less than a minute into the second period, Dougie Hamilton scored to put the Devils on the board and tie it at one. Soon after, the Sharks went back ahead on a goal by Jeff Skinner, only for New Jersey to challenge it and the goal to be overturned due to Alex Wennberg entering the zone before the puck did en route to Skinner scoring that goal. A similar trend with the Sharks in the second period carried over from last night, as the Devils went ahead later in the middle frame on Dougie Hamilton’s second goal of the game. All three goals scored in this game up to this point were on the power play. Lastly, with just under a minute remaining in regulation, Connor Brown scored an empty-netter to put this one away for the Devils.

Yaroslav Askarov put up his best performance of the season so far, recording 27 saves on 29 shots against and making more amazing stops throughout the rest of this game besides his most notable one on Nico Hischier in the first period. In addition, Philipp Kurashev and Sam Dickinson were back in the Sharks lineup, while Michael Misa sat due to this being the second game of a back-to-back set.

Unfortunately for the Sharks, they fell back to earth a bit on the second leg of this back-to-back set between the Rangers and Devils. It was a combination of being unable to get out of their own way of their mistakes, having two goals disallowed, and being unable to solve Jake Allen for most of this contest. Team Teal was able to keep this game close for the most part, but with the Devils off to a hot start to the new season and the Sharks playing the night before, the end result to this one should not be shocking whatsoever. San Jose concludes its first major road trip of the season on Sunday in Minnesota against the Wild at 3 pm PT.

Sources: NBC Sports California, NHL App

Thursday, October 23, 2025

Sharks 2025-26 Game 7 Recap: Sharks 6, Rangers 5 (OT) (10/23/25)

The San Jose Sharks get their first victory of the 2025-26 season in an overtime thriller at Madison Square Garden by a score of 6-5 over the New York Rangers.

Team Teal got off to a great start to this one, scoring the first goal about two minutes into the opening period via Adam Gaudette for his third goal of the season, assisted by Collin Graf and Michael Misa. All three of Gaudette, Graf, and Misa combined for a goal for the second consecutive game and for the 100th point of Gaudette’s NHL career. Moments later, Nick Leddy headed for the dressing room after he was hit by Will Cuylle and did not return due to an upper-body injury, followed by a solid scrap between Ryan Reaves and Matt Rempe. The Sharks then extended their lead to two on Macklin Celebrini’s third goal of the season, which bounced off a few others before finding the back of the net. Assists on this second Sharks goal went to William Eklund and Dmitry Orlov. Later in the first period, the Rangers scored via Taylor Raddysh to get themselves on the board and cut the Sharks’ lead back to one. With just over eight seconds left in the opening period, Macklin Celebrini scored his second goal of the game and fourth goal of the season to restore the Sharks’ two-goal lead, assisted by Will Smith and William Eklund.

The Rangers mounted a comeback in the second period, tying the game at three on goals from Mika Zibanejad and Juuso Parssinen. Later in the second period, a shorthanded goal by Taylor Raddysh for his second goal of the game gave the Broadway Blueshirts their first lead of the night. It seemed like all hope was lost at that point for San Jose, but with roughly six seconds remaining in the middle frame, Macklin Celebrini scored his third goal of the game for the second hat trick of his NHL career to even things up at four, with assists from Will Smith and Dmitry Orlov. Right after Celebrini completed his second career hat trick, it was great to see Ryan Reaves throw his helmet onto the ice in support of Macklin as well.

Early in the third period, the Sharks regained their lead on Will Smith’s first goal of the season in front of a mostly empty net, with William Eklund collecting his third assist of the night and Macklin Celebrini earning his fourth point of the night on this go-ahead goal. Later in the third period, the Rangers tied the game at five on Taylor Raddysh’s third goal of the game for the second hat trick scored in this contest. This would ultimately force overtime, where the Sharks would finally earn their first victory of the campaign on Will Smith’s second goal of the game and season. Macklin Celebrini capped off his best performance of the season so far with his second assist and fifth point of the night on the OT game-winner.

Alex Nedeljkovic earned his first win as a Shark at Madison Square Garden tonight, recording 22 saves on 27 shots against and an assist on the OT GWG by Will Smith. In addition, Timothy Liljegren was activated from the injured reserve, Luca Cagnoni was sent back down to the Barracuda, and Sam Dickinson was a healthy scratch.

This was one hell of a game between the Sharks and Rangers, and it was even better that the Sharks came through to win their first game of the season. It only took them seven games to accomplish this very important feat compared to nine games last season and 11 games two seasons ago, resulting in this season already being more successful for the Sharks than the past two seasons. Leading the way for Team Teal tonight were Macklin Celebrini with a hat trick and five total points, Will Smith with two goals, and William Eklund with three assists, all of which were simply incredible. San Jose is back in action tomorrow in Newark against the New Jersey Devils at 4 pm PT.

Sources: NBC Sports California, NHL App

Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Shark 2025-26 Game 6 Recap: Islanders 4, Sharks 3 (10/21/25)

The Sharks open their first major road trip of the season with a 4-3 loss to the New York Islanders.

San Jose struck first early in the opening period on a shorthanded goal by Collin Graf for his first of the season, assisted by Ty Dellandrea. Right after the following faceoff, there was a minor delay to replace the curved part of the glass right by the Islanders bench due to there being a large crack in it. Soon after, Bo Horvat and Casey Cizikas scored to give the Islanders a 2-1 lead. The Sharks responded on a great sequence that resulted in Adam Gaudette's second goal of the season. Michael Misa recorded his first NHL point with the primary assist on the equalizer, while Collin Graf recorded the secondary assist on this goal for his second point of the game. With just under 30 seconds remaining in the first period, the Islanders somehow managed to retake the lead on a goal by Emil Heineman. It was reviewed and the goal stood since the puck completely crossed the goal line before the ref blew the whistle, even though there may have been goalie interference or a distinct kicking motion on that go-ahead goal.

The Islanders extended their lead to two via Matthew Schaefer early in the second period. Team Teal made it a one-goal game in the third period on Macklin Celebrini’s second goal of the season, with assists from Dmitry Orlov and Mario Ferraro, but it wasn’t enough to get the Sharks over the hump.

Yaroslav Askarov improved in net compared to his first few starts this season, registering 23 saves on 27 shots against. In addition, Philipp Kurashev did not play in this contest due to being listed as a healthy scratch. A few days ago, the Sharks placed Shakir Mukhamadullin on the injured reserve and recalled Luca Cagnoni from the Barracuda.

Despite still searching for their first win of the season, the Sharks performed fairly well in this close contest. They played more of a complete game, fought hard, generated several scoring opportunities to outshoot the Islanders 36-27, but ultimately fell short. On a more positive note, it was great to see Michael Misa register his first NHL point, Collin Graf record a multi-point performance, and Macklin Celebrini score his second goal of the season. The Sharks continue their first major road trip of the 2025-26 campaign on Thursday at Madison Square Garden against the Rangers at 4 pm PT.

Sources: NBC Sports California, NHL App

Sunday, October 19, 2025

My 11th NHL Game: Penguins 3, Sharks 0 (10/18/25)

The Sharks’ fifth game of the 2025-26 campaign is the second Sharks game I have attended within a span of two weeks. I was looking forward to attending this one mainly so I could see my Sharks face Sidney Crosby and the Penguins in person for the first time. Before getting into the game itself, the theme surrounding this game was Los Tiburones, or in other words a celebration of Hispanic heritage. I received a local artist-designed Los Tiburones shirsey as part of an all-arena giveaway at this game. While it looked nice and was a worthy free collector's item, I opted not to wear it and purchased and wore a new Sharks Heritage 2.0 jersey with Macklin Celebrini on the back of it from the team store. Not only did I want to get my hands on the Sharks' newest jersey, but the one I purchased happened to be the last one available at the arena with Macklin Celebrini on the back and in my size.

Onto the game itself, not only was I thrilled to see Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang play in person for the first time, it was also my first time seeing Sharks rookies Michael Misa and Sam Dickinson play in person. This was Misa's second NHL game and Dickinson's fourth NHL game. The first goal of this contest was not scored until the middle of the second period, when none other than Sidney Crosby tipped in a shot from Kris Letang to get the Penguins on the board. Pittsburgh extended its lead to two in the middle of the third period via Anthony Mantha, while Evgeni Malkin put any and all of the Sharks' hopes of earning their first win of the season to bed with an empty-netter with just over 20 seconds remaining in this contest.

Alex Nedeljkovic put together his best performance as a Shark so far against his former team, recording 24 saves on 26 shots against. Despite the Sharks generating plenty of great scoring chances throughout the game, outshooting the Penguins 31-27, and improving their defense compared to their past few games, they had some terrible puck luck and were unable to solve Tristan Jarry, who earned a shutout in this one. It was genuinely amazing that neither the Sharks or Penguins had taken or drew any penalties until late in the third period. In addition, there were some boos whenever former Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson, who is currently a Penguin, touched the puck throughout this game. During a stoppage in play early in the second period, S.J. Sharkie appeared near the section that I was seated in dressed as an SAP Center usher and holding a VIP seat upgrade sign just to set up a random Penguins fan and throw him out of the arena, which I found amusing.

Overall, although the Sharks could not score, I am glad I fully took advantage of possibly my only opportunity to see them face Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang in person. In addition, getting my hands on the Sharks' newest Heritage 2.0 jersey made attending this game absolutely worth it. The number of NHL teams I have now seen play in person has increased to 12, and the Sharks have fallen to 3-4-3 when I am at their games. Next up, the Sharks embark on their first major road trip of the season, starting on Tuesday in New York against the Islanders at 4 pm PT.