Author: M Walsh

Sharks Win 4-1 in Vegas, Cardwell Hat Trick, Regenda with 4 Assists

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

San Jose Sharks F Pavol Regenda (84) and San Jose Sharks F Egor Afanasyev (11) celebrate after a goal scored against the Vegas Golden Knights during an NHL preseason game on Friday October 3, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada. photo by RJ Forbus – The Sporting Tribune

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 4-1 in Friday’s preseason matchup at T Mobile Center in Las Vegas. Ethan Cardwell (hat trick) and Egor Afanasyev scored for San Jose. Pavol Regenda assisted on all four Sharks goals. Alex Nedeljkovic made 29 saves for the win. Alexander Holtz scored for Vegas. Adin Hill made 16 saves in the loss.

The only goal of the first period went to the Sharks, scored by Ethan Cardwell at 1:18, a wrist shot off the rush. A neutral zone pass by Pavol Regenda sent Cardwell on his way.

The shot count in the first was 8-6 Vegas. There was a fight midway through the period between Jeremy Lauzon and Zack Ostapchuk. Vegas took one penalty (GT interference by Tomas Hertl) and San Jose took two penalties (cross-checking by Carl Grundstrom and tripping by Shane Bowers).

Egor Afanasyev made it 2-0 at 16:21 of the second period. On the power play, Afanasyev scored with a snap shot off a cross-ice pass from Regenda. Cardwell picked up an assist as well.

In the second period, the shots were x-x. The Sharks took a penalty to Will Smith for hooking Shea Theodore. Brett Howden and Jeremy Lauzon took penalties for Vegas, goaltender interference and interference respectively. At the end of the period, the Sharks’ Vincent Desharnais was called for roughing against Lauzon, putting the Golden Knights on the power play to start the third period.

Ethan Cardwell scored his second of the game at 6:48 of the third period. Regenda carried the puck through the neutral zone, then passed it to himself off the end boards before passing it back to Cardwell for the shot. An assist also went to Ostapchuk.

Alexander Holtz broke the shutout with a goal at 7:11 of the third. Holtz scored with a snap shot from the blue line. Assists went to Kaedan Korczak and Brandon Saad.

Ethan Cardwell completed his hat trick after Vegas pulled their goaltender. His third goal, like his first two, were set up by Pavol Regenda.

The Sharks play their final preseason game on Saturday, in Salt Lake City against the Utah Mammoth at 5:00 PM PT.

Sharks Fall 3-2 to Ducks in third Preseason Game

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

The Ducks’ Cutter Gauthier, left, skates with the puck as the San Jose Sharks’ Timothy Liljegren defends during the second period of a preseason game on Monday night at Honda Center. The Ducks won, 3-2. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost to the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 in their third preseason game of 2025. Cutter Gauthier, Radko Gudas and Frank Vatrano scored for the Ducks.

Ville Husso made 22 saves for the win. Pavol Regenda and Adam Gaudette scored for the Sharks. Goalie Jakub Skarek played the first half of the game for the Sharks, making 13 saves on 16 shots. Gabriel Carriere made 14 saves in the second half.

In a scoreless first period, Anaheim outshot San Jose 9-6. Each team took a single penalty, overlapping for about 30 seconds of four-on-four play. Sharks defenseman Vincent Desharnais was called for cross-checking Ducks center Tim Washe, then Ducks winger Alex Killorn was called for slashing Sharks defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin.

Just 21 seconds into the second period, Ducks defenseman Jacob Trouba was called for cross-checking Sharks winger Pavol Regenda and roughing Vincent Desharnais. Desharnais received a matching roughing penalty. The resulting Sharks power play was unproductive.

At 6:22, the Ducks’ Cutter Gauthier scored a power play goal. He intercepted the puck as the Sharks tried to clear it up the middle and put it past Jakub Skarek on the glove side with a wrist shot.

Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas made it 2-0 at 7:09 with a snap shot through traffic that beat Skarek on the stick side. Assists went to Sam Colangelo and Nikita Nesterenko.

Frank Vatrano made it 3-0 at 9:13. Tyson Hinds got behind the Sharks defense and Vatrano was not far behind, ready to take a cross-ice pass to score with a snap shot. An assist also went to Ryan Strome.

Pavol Regenda ended the shutout, deflecting a shot from Mukhamadullin at 13:29. An assist also went to Oliver Wahlstrom.

In all, the officials called ten penalties in the second period. The shots were closer than in the first, 10-9 Anaheim.

The Sharks took another penalty at 2:50 of the third period, a high-sticking call to Kasper Halttunen. Desharnais was also called for high-sticking at 13:02.

Adam Gaudette cut the Anaheim lead to one with a snap shot at 15:59. Shane Bowers got the assist.

The Sharks next play on Wednesday in San Jose against the Ducks again at 7:00 PM PT.

Sharks Lose 2-1 in OT to Canucks, Celebrini Scores 25th

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

San Jose Sharks Macklin Celebrni (71) celebrates his second period goal with teammates Nikolai Kovalenko (15), Luca Cagnoni (42), and Tyler Toffoli (73) against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Center in Vancouver on Mon Apr 14, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost 2-1 in overtime to the Vancouver Canucks Monday. The loss is the tenth in a row for the Sharks, their longest of the season. Linus Karlsson and Jake DeBrusk scored for Vancouver. Nikita Tolopilo made 15 saves for the win. Macklin Celebrini took the lead in the rookie scoring race with his power play goal, despite having played many fewer games than his closest competition. Alexandar Georgiev made a heroic 35 saves in the loss.

After the game, Luca Cagnoni talked about earning an assist in a game after a late-night call up from the Barracuda: “It’s pretty special. It’s kind of funny how it works, you get two home-town guys playing and on the score sheet. It’s not what it’s all about but it’s a cool moment for sure.”

The story of the first period was Alexandar Georgiev, keeping the game scoreless despite a shot disparity of 12-3 for the Canucks. The Sharks had more time on the penalty kill with a double-minor against and one power play.

The first goal of the game came from Macklin Celebrini on a Sharks power play at 4:20 of the second period. Celebrini skated to the faceoff dot and beat Tolopilo with a wrist shot. Assists went to Tyler Toffoli and Luca Cagnoni.

The shots for the second period were even at seven. The Canucks took two minor penalties and the Sharks took one.

The Canucks tied the game at 9:02 of the third period. Linus Karlsson beat Celebrini to the Sharks net and put away a rebound off a shot from Teddy Blueger. An assist also went to Drew O’Connor.

The Canucks made a valiant push, outshooting the Sharks 10-5 in the third, but could not get that second goal. The Sharks took two penalties in the third and had no power plays.

That shot disparity continued into overtime, 8-1 Canucks. It took them 4:42 to score but they finally did, as a puck came off the end boards and landed perfectly for Jake DeBrusk to shoot it under Georgiev. Assists went to Brock Boeser and Quinn Hughes.

The Sharks will play their final game of the season in San Jose against the Oilers on Wednesday at 7:30 PM PT.

Sharks Fall 5-2 to Flames, Toffoli Scores 30th

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

San Jose Sharks’ Tyler Toffoli (73) scores on Calgary Flames goalie Dustin Wolf (32) during first period NHL hockey action in Calgary on Sunday, April 13, 2025. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 5-2 to the Calgary Flames Sunday. MacKenzie Weegar, Adam Klapka, Yegor Sharangovich and Matt Coronato scored for Calgary. Dustin Wolf made 28 saves for the win. The win preserves playoff hopes for Calgary fans as the team avoided elimination. Tyler Toffoli and Jan Rutta scored for San Jose. Toffoli’s goal was his 30th of the season, for the third season in a row. Georgi Romanov made 25 saves in the loss. It was the ninth loss in a row for the Sharks.

After the game, Tyler Toffoli talked about the season’s many losses:

“We’ve been in so many games this year and blown so many leads in stupid ways, that I think if everyone reflects in the right way going into the summer and comes into training camp next year it could be a completely different season.”

Jan Rutta also commented on the team’s tendency to lose: “We’ve been playing well enough to win a lot of games and always found a way to lose.”

Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky was asked what he wanted the young players to learn from these losses. He said: “How hard it is to win in this league, how you can’t get caught taking a breath at any moment, that it’s a fine line between winning and losing.”

The Sharks took the lead at 3:09 of the first period. Tyler Toffoli scored his 30th of the season with a wrist shot from right in front of the blue paint. Assists went to Lucas Carlsson and Noah Gregor.

Calgary tied it up with their fourth shot of the game at 9:24. After the Sharks twice failed to clear the zone, MacKenzie Weegar scored with a shot from the top of the faceoff circle. Assists went to Adam Klapka and Jonathan Huberdeau.

Calgary took the lead at 14:15 with a goal from Klapka. Klapka skated to the net as Nazem Kadri carried the puck in along the boards and then centered it for the snap shot. An assist went to Huberdeau as well.

At the end of the first period, the Sharks led in shots 15-6. The only penalty in the period went against the Sharks for too many men on the ice.

The Sharks tied it up 4:20 into the second period. Jan Rutta scored with a backhand as he skated by the net. Assists went to William Eklund and Tyler Toffoli.

The second period was as lopsided as the first, though this time the shots favored Calgary 16-5. The Sharks again took the only penalty of the period, a high-stick against Timothy Lijegren.

Calgary took the lead back with their third goal 1:30 into the third period. Yegor Sharangovich scored with a snap shot for his 100th career NHL goal. Assists went to Morgan Frost and Brayden Pachal.

The Flames padded that lead with a fourth goal at 10:55, a wrist shot in front of the net from Coronato. Assists went to Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman.

Sharangovich scored his second of the game into an empty net at 17:16. Rasmus Anderson got the assist.

The Flames took their two penalties of the game in the third period but it did not hurt their result, with the shots nearly even at 10-8 Sharks.

The Sharks will play their final road game of the season on Monday in Vancouver against the Canucks at 7:00 PM PT.

Barracuda Shut Out 4-0 by Reign; San Jose’s clinches spot for post season

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

San Jose Barracuda forward Scott Sabourin (49) and the Ontario Reign defenseman Otto Salin (10) skate behind the net at Tech CU in San Jose on Sat Apr 12, 2025 (San Jose Barracuda photo)

By Mary Walsh

A day after clinching their spot in the Calder Cup playoffs, the San Jose Barracuda lost 4-0 to the Ontario Reign on Saturday. Martin Chromiak, Riley Walsh and Taylor Ward scored for the Reign. 18 year old Carter George made 33 saves for the win in his professional debut. Yaroslav Askarov made 24 saves in the loss. The loss makes home ice in the playoffs less likely for the Barracuda.

Ontario jumped to an early lead with a goal at 1:50 of the first period. Martin Chromiak’s shot from the point made its way through traffic into the net. Assists went to Joseph Cecconi and Reilly Walsh.

Reilly Walsh scored right off an offensive zone faceoff win, giving the Reign a 2-0 lead. An assist went to Kaleb Lawrence.

The shot count was very close in the first, 10-9 Barracuda. San Jose finished the first period on a power play with 1:26 left on that to start the second period. The Barracuda did not score on that power play or the five-on-three that they had at the end of the period.

They did give up one goal during four-on-four play that ate up the final seconds of a late Barracuda power play.

Riley Walsh got a shot off from high in the slot after Jack Studnicka set him up with a pass from below the goal line. An assist also went to Andre Lee.

The Reign made it 4-0 midway through the third period on a power play. Charles Hudon passed the puck across the ice to Taylor Ward for a shot that got by Askarov before he could get across. Assists went to Hudon and Martin Chromiak.

Pavol Regenda led the Barracuda in shots with 4. Jake Furlong, Jimmy Shuldt, Ethan Cardwell and Filip Bystedt each had three shots.

The Barracuda next play on Friday in Calgary against the Wranglers at 2:00 PM PDT.

Sharks Fall 4-2 to Oilers, Losing Streak at Eight

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

San Jose Sharks’ Barclay Goodrow (23) looks for an opening against Edmonton Oilers’ goalie Calvin Pickardback right, while under pressure from Max Jones (46), and Matvey Petrov, front right, during second-period NHL hockey game action in Edmonton, Alberta, Friday, April 11, 2025. (Amber Bracken/The Canadian Press via AP)AMBER BRACKEN/AP

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 4-2 to the Edmonton Oilers on Friday. Evan Bouchard, Ty Emberson, Corey Perry and Connor Brown scored for Edmonton. Connor McDavid had assists on all four goals. Calvin Pickard made 22 saves in the game. The win clinched the Oilers’ position in the playoffs at third in the Pacific Division. Will Smith and Henry Thrun scored for the Sharks. Georgi Romanov made 30 saves. The loss was the eighth in a row for the Sharks.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky said:

“You would never know we only have 20 wins. I give a lot of credit to our group. We’re competing. Little slow start but we got it going there, had some good chances, good chances to tie it up. I gotta give a lot of credit to the group. They’re continuing to compete. They’re not looking at their record.”

On the other hand, Warsofsky pointed out that the team made some familiar errors, taking too many penalties: “If you put a team on the power play five times, it doesn’t matter if it’s McDavid or anyone else in the League, they’re gonna make you pay. That’s what happened tonight.”

Alexander Wennberg talked about that penalty problem, in particular the stick penalties: “Obviously, some of the calls we kind of disagree with but it’s part of the game as well. Obviously, play a little more to the body, get your sticks together and be more careful.”

Evan Bouchard started the scoring for Edmonton with a power play goal at 6:47 of the first period. After passing back and forth high in the zone with Connor McDavid, Bouchard took the shot from the slot through traffic. McDavid and Adam Henrique got the assists.

Ty Emberson made it 2-0 at 15:41. McDavid sent the puck to the net just as Emberson arrived there for a tip-in. McDavid and Bouchard got the assists.

Will Smith trimmed that lead with a goal at 17:13. Smith dumped the pucj in from the neutral zone sand then followed it in. Nikolai Kovalenko won the puck near the boards and passed it to Smith for a shot through traffic.

The Sharks were badly outshot in the first period, 14-6. The Sharks took two penalties and had one power play at the end of the period.

Henry Thrun tied the game at 5:44 of the second period. He gathered up the puck along the boards and shot it into traffic from a tight angle. It was the defenseman’s second of the season. William Eklund got the assist.

The shots were closer in the second, 12-9 Oilers. The Sharks again took two penalties to the Oilers’ one.

Corey Perry scored the game winner on the power play at 7:32 of the third period. He tipped a Connor McDavid shot that came from the boards. An assist also went to Adam Henrique.

Connor Brown scored on a breakaway into the empty net at 19:34. Assists went to Darnell Nurse and Connor McDavid.

The Sharks next play on Sunday in Calgary against the Flames at 5:00 PM PT.

Sharks Fall 8-7 to Wild in Minnesota Barn Burner, Celebrini, Smith Shine

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) defends against a shot as San Jose Sharks center Cam Lund (46) pressures during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

By Mary Walsh

Marcus Johansson, Brock Faber, Joel Ericksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov scored for Minnesota. Ericksson Ek scored four of the Wild’s goals and Kaprizov scored two. Marc-Andre Fleury made 24 saves for the win. Tyler Toffoli, Macklin Celebrini, Carl Grundstrom, Nikolai Kovalenko and Will Smith scored for San Jose, with Celebrini earning his first NHL hat trick and Smith earning three assists. Alexandar Georgiev made 36 saves in the loss.

Celebrini became the youngest Sharks player to score three goals in a game. He is also now the Sharks’ all-time rookie points leader, with 62. Pat Falloon had 59. Not far down that same list is Will Smith with 44 points.

After the game, Will Smith talked about the comeback and the loss. “I think it’s been our kind of model all year that we’re never out of it but it’s obviously tough in the end.” Celebrini also mentioned the team’s tenacity: “We kept going, we kept pushing, we never really gave up.”

Tyler Toffoli talked about the pressure on these rookies: “They are relied on already to be the cornerstones of the franchise. Really proud of them, the way they handled themselves tonight but they’re going to have to do that for the rest of my time here.”

Toffoli scored the first goal of the game at 12:11 of the first period. William Eklund, at the goal line, took a pass from Alexander Wennberg and then passed the puck to Toffoli for the shot.

Marcus Johansson tied the game at 14:16 with a shot from the point. Assists went to Frederick Gaudreau and Gustav Nyquist.

Brock Faber gave the Wild a lead at 18:48 with a shot from high in the slot and through traffic. An assist went to Matt Boldy.

The Wild outshot the Sharks 17-10 in the first period. The Sharks went through a prolonged spell without a shot in the later half of the period, though they mustered a flurry of offense in the final minute or two.

Macklin Celebrini tied the game at two with a wrist shot at 7:29 of the second period. Catching a pass from Jack Thompson, Celebrini rolled around the Wild defender and then slid the puck around Fleury on the stick side. Assists went to Thompson and Will Smith.

Less than 20 seconds later, Joel Ericksson Ek gave the Wild a 3-2 lead. Assists went to Marcus Foligno and Matt Boldy.

Carl Grundstrom tied it again less than a minute later. Grundstrom carried the puck through the neutral zone and over the line before dropping it to Cam Lund, who gave it back as Grundstrum arrived at the net.

Macklin Celebrini made it 4-3 Sharks at 12:28. He ad the puck near the boards and passed it behind the net to Smith, who sent it back out when Celebrini went to the slot. Assists went to Smith and Timothy Liljegren.

Kirill Kaprizov tied it at 4 with a power play goal at 17:02. Assists went to Mats Zuccarello and Joel Ericksson Ek. Ericksson Ek scored his second of the game on a power play at 19:48. Assists went to Marco Rossi and Matt Boldy.

In the second period, the Wild outshot the Sharks but only 15-14, reflecting a much closer period. The Sharks took two penalties and a third matching minor in the second period.

Joel Ericksson Ek completed his hat trick with a power play goal 1:02 into the third. Assists went to Kaprizov and Zuccarello. Ericksson Ek made it a haul just over a minute later. Assists went to Boldy and Foligno.

Nikolai Kovalenko scored for the Sharks at 4:44. The goal was the start of a surprising third period comeback by the Sharks. Assists went to Celebrini and Henry Thrun.

Celebrini completed his hat trick and brought the Sharks within a goal at 10:02 of the third. Assists went to Smith and Kovalenko.

Will Smith tied the game with the Sharks net empty and less than a minute left on the clock. He took the shot from the top of the face-off circle into traffic at the net. Assists went to Lijegren and Celebrini.

Kirill Kaprizov scored the game winner for Minnesota at 1:01 of overtime. Assists went to Zuccarello and Jared Spurgeon.

The Sharks next play on Friday in Edmonton against the Oilers at 6:30 PM PT.

Kings Pulverize Sharks 8-1, SJ’s Lund Scores Again

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

San Jose Sharks goaltender Alexander Georgiev had a busy evening trying to stop Los Angeles Kings shots. Here the Kings Adrian Kempe scores on Georgiev in the second period at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sun Mar 30, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 8-1 on Sunday night, losing to the NHL’s best home team at this point in the season: the Los Angeles Kings. Phillip Danault, Adrian Kempe (2), Trevor Moore, Warren Foegele (2), Andrei Kuzmenko and Trevor Lewis scored for the Kings.

David Rittich made 22 saves in the win for LA. Cam Lund scored for the Sharks, his second in his third NHL game. It was also the second time Lund scored the Sharks’ only goal in a loss. Georgi Romanov made 28 saves in the loss.

While the Kings held a significant advantage in the standings over the Sharks, they had incentive to win. First, the Sharks were leading the series due to some wins early in the season. Secondly, the Kings are racing the Oilers for home ice in the playoffs. They were not likely to drop this game.

The Kings scored first, just at the expiration of a power play at 5:35 of the first period. Quinton Byfield caught Trevor Moore’s pass from below the goal line and sent it across the ice to Phillip Danault for a slap shot goal.

The Sharks had a two man advantage for over 90 seconds at 10:37 but could not convert. They were hampered by missed shots and failure to keep the puck in Los Angeles got a power play shortly after the Sharks’ one expired.

Adrian Kempe scored during the final seconds of that power play, making it 2-0 at 15:13. Anze Kopitar set Kempe up by carrying the puck to the net and then passing it back out to Kempe for a snap shot. Drew Doughty also earned an assist.

At the end of the first period, the shots were 8-7 Los Angeles.

The Sharks were back in the penalty box less than three minutes into the second period, after Cam Lund tripped Quinton Byfield. This time, the Sharks killed the penalty and pushed back hard enough to score.

Cam Lund came out of the box and gathered up the puck by the Sharks blue line, then went the other way. He dropped it to Ferraro just inside the zone and went to the net. There, he caught the rebound created by Ferraro’s shot and put it away.

Three minutes later, Trevor Moore made it 3-1 with a wrist shot. Assists went to Kopitar and Andrei Kuzmenko.

Less than three minutes later, the Kings were back on the power play with Ferraro in the box for hooking Kempe. The Sharks killed that off and, 12 seconds later, Ferraro went back to the box for tripping Kevin Fiala.

Late in that power play, Warren Foegele made it 4-1 with a third power play goal. Assists went to Brandt Clarke and Byfield.

In the last minute of the second period, Foegele scored his second of the night with a redirected shot that trickled under Romanov. Mikey Anderson and Drew Doughty got the assists.

With just 23 seconds left in the period, Kempe scored his second of the night. Vladislav Gavrikov and Andrei Kuzmenko got the assists.

The shots were 17-8 Kings during the second period.

Almost four minutes into the third period, a fight resulted in multiple penalties, giving the Sharks a power play. They could not convert but they had a chance to stem the bleeding.

At 14:49 of the third, Andrei Kuzmenko scored with a wrist shot from high in the slot, shooting through two Sharks defenders and over Romanov’s shoulder. Assists went to Kopitar and Gavrikov.

At 15:22, Trevor Lewis made it 8-1 with a wrist shot. Assists went to Jacob Moverare and Jordan Spence.

A giveaway by the Sharks gave Romanov a chance to stop a breakaway by Jeff Malott, one-on-one. He did so.

Roster notes: Jimmy Schuldt unavailable to play, but Marc-Edouard Vlasic returned to the lineup for his 18th game of the season on his 38th birthday. This game was Romanov’s second career NHL start and his fifth NHL appearance.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday at 7:00 PM PT in Anaheim against the Ducks.

Sharks Lose 7-3 to Avalanche, Celebrini Scores 20th

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

San Jose Sharks gets blown out by the Colorado Avalanche 7-3 at the Ball Center in Denver on Thu Mar 6, 2025 (San Jose Sharks X photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 7-3 to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday. Joel Kiviranta, Cale Makar, Jonathan Drouin, Martin Necas and Nathan MacKinnon scored for the Avalanche. Mackenzie Blackwood made 31 saves for the win against his former team. Fabian Zetterlund, Macklin Celebrini and William Eklund scored for the Sharks. Alexandar Georgiev made 25 saves in the loss to his former team.

The first goal of the game was a short-handed one from Colorado. Joel Kiviranta scored it at 4:19 of the first period. Cale Makar knocked the puck away from Macklin Celebrini in the Sharks’ zone. Kiviranta carried it all the way to the other end for the shot.

A few minutes later, Colorado scored on the power play. Skating in from the blue line, Cale Makar caught a pass from Jonathan Drouin and scored on Georgiev’s stick side. Assists went to Drouin and Nathan MacKinnon.

Fabian Zetterlund got one back for the Sharks, on the power play at 10:08. Lurking just outside the blue paint, Zetterlund rediretced a shot from Collin Graf behi8nd Blackwood.

Jonathan Drouin made it 3-1 in the last three seconds of the period. Martin Necas passed the puck through the blue paint to Drouin for the goal. An assist also went to Artturi Lehkonen.

Martin Necas scored another power play goal just 40 seconds into the second period. Cale Makar set up the slap shot for Necase. An assist also went to MacKinnon.

Nathan MacKinnon scored the first even strength goal of the game at 10:54 of the second. Cale Makar shot it in and it went wide, then off of the backboards. It boucned right to MacKinnon next to the goal mouth for a snap shot. Assists went to Makar and Josh Manson.

In the final second of the second period, Keaton Middleton put the puck in the net but it was called off due to goaltender interference. It would have been Middleton’s first NHL goal.

MacKinnon scored another even strength goal at 5:21 of the third period to make it 6-1. On a rebound, the puck came right to MacKinnon as he skated to the net. Lehkonen and Makar got the assists.

Macklin Celebrini scored one for the Sharks at 8:10, putting the puck in the top of the net on a power play. It was Celebrini’s 20th goal for the season. Assists went to Will Smith and William Eklund.

Cale Makar restored the five-goal lead with a wrist shot less than a minute after Celebrini’s goal.

William Eklund scored the third Sharks goal at 17:24, the Sharks’ first even strength goal of the game. Three Colorado players were trying to corral the puck right in front of the blue paint. Eklund slid in between them and poked it into the net. Assists went to Tyler Toffoli and Alexander Wennberg.

Colorado out-shot the Sharks 13-9 in the first period. In the second period, it was 13-6 Colorado. In the third period the Sharks made a push, out-shooting Colorado 19-6.

The Sharks next play on Saturday back in San Jose against the New York Islanders at 7:00 PM PT.

Sharks Win 6-2 Over Sabres, Georgiev Wins Back-to-Back Games

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

left to right the San Jose Sharks Mario Ferraro (38), Macklin Celebrini (71) congratulate goaltender Alexander Georgiev (40) who stopped 20 Buffalo Sabres shots at Key Bank Center in Buffalo on Tue Mar 4, 2025 (San Jose Sharks X photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks defeated the Buffalo Sabres 6-2 on Tuesday. Timothy Liljegren, Nico Sturm, Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith and Tyler Toffoli scored for San Jose. Alexandar Georgiev made 20 saves for San Jose the win. JJ Peterka and Tage Thommpson scored for Buffalo. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 22 saves in the loss.

After a loss in Montreal, Nico Sturm said that the Sharks were having trouble extending their lead, that they needed to “just score another goal.” The team did that Tuesday night with four goals in the third period. Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky said: “Our guys were committed to it. You could tell from the beginning of puck drop we wanted to win the hockey game. We went on the attack.”

Two wins in a row has not been easy for the Sharks, but these wins had the distinction of being on back to back nights, with an overtime and shootout the first night, and the same Sharks goalie in both games. It was a somewhat unusual schedule for the San Jose goaltender: “I wouldn’t say it threw off my routine. Just probably not a lot of sleep. After the last win, I was pretty hyped. Yeah I felt… just trying to battle it out in the first period, have a good first and see what happened.”

After a scoreless first period, the Sharks scored 1:01 into the second period. Timothy Liljegren caught a cross-ice pass from William Eklund and took a shot. The puck slid under Luukkonen and went just over the line. The officials did not see it and play went on. A later review called it a goal. Assists went to Eklund and Jake Walman.

JJ Peterka tied it at 5:13 on a power play. Peterka scored with a slap shot off of a set up by Rasmus Dahlin. Assists went to Dahlin and Jack Quinn.

Nico Sturm gave the Sharks a 2-1 lead at 18:22. Collin Graf passed the puck across the ice and it went off of a Sabres defender. Sturm was right on hand to catch that stray puck and put it away. Assists went to Graf and Klim Kostin.

The Sharks out-shot the Sabres 11-5 in the first period. The Sabres took two penalties in the first, and the Sharks took two in the second. The Sabres had a tiny edge in shots for the second period, 11-10.

William Eklund extended the lead to 3-1 at early in the third period. Catching a pass off the boards from Toffoli, he shot the puck from just above the goal line. Toffoli and Shakir Mukhamadullin got the assists.

Tage Thompson trimmed that lead at 6:55 with a slap shot off a pass from Peterka. An assist also went to Connor Clifton.

Just over a minute later, Macklin Celebrini scored his 19th of the season. He had just come off the bench and the Sharks were swarming the net. Mukhamadullin passed the puck across the ice to Celebrini for a wrist shot. An assist also went to Will Smith.

Smith scored at 12:49 to make it 5-2. Smith caught a pass off the boards from Fabian Zetterlund in the Sharks’ end. He then skated all the way to the other end, evading the Sabres defense to score his 11th of the season.

Tyler Toffoli scored into an empty net at 18:01. Assists went to Jake Walman and Timothy Liljegren.

On the trade front, Vitek Vanecek was held out of Tuesday’s game in anticipation of a trade. Which team the Sharks are dealing with has not been announced.

The Sharks next play on Thursday in Colorado against the Avalanche at 6:30 PM PT.