BERKELEY, CA–Saturday in the ACC was a day of surprises and upheaval. Steady Virginia again stubbornly refused to be part of the drama.
Playing another tight, tense game, the No. 15 Cavaliers extended their win streak to seven by beating host Cal, 31-21 with a late fourth quarter finish. The win gave Virginia their longest win streak since 2007 and left Cal one win short of bowl eligibility with three games remaining.
“This is go time,” UVA coach Tony Elliott said. “This is where we got to be trying to to prime up and get rolling on all cylinders. It was important for them to get off to a fast start and put together some drives and score some points.”
Elliott’s group took a 10-0, first quarter lead, scoring on their first, two possessions and held on as Cal sliced their lead to a field goal on three occasions. Chandler Morris, who threw for 262 yards, and J’Mari Taylor with 105 yards rushing led Virginia offensively without committing any damaging mistakes.
Cal got outplayed up front on both sides of the ball, committed the game’s only two turnovers, and were unable to overcome an 80-57 disparity in the number of offensive plays each team ran.
“We were never able to capture that momentum,” coach Justin Wilcox said. “The play count gets out of whack. And ultimately that cost us the ballgame.”
Cade Uluave, Cal’s leading tackler and defensive leader departed early with a hand injury. His replacement, Aaron Hampton and defensive tackle Aidan Keanaaina were exemplary in Uluave’s absence, but couldn’t force the visitors out of their comfort zone.
Cal’s offense again was too one-dimensional as the running game wilted and quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele simply couldn’t be flawless and lead the Bears from behind. With Cal trailing 24-21 in the game’s final minute, Sagapolutele threw his second interception, and it was returned 35 yards for a game-sealing touchdown by Kam Robinson.
“On defense it was the third downs, offense we had a couple we didn’t quite connect on,” Wilcox said. “Ultimately against a team like that, you have to make those and we didn’t do that.”
Kendrick Raphael had a frustrating afternoon as Cal’s leading rusher scored three touchdowns, but was held under 50 yards on the ground. Raphael’s high point was being on the receiving end of tight end Mason Mini’s 42-yard touchdown pass that cut Virginia’s lead to 17-14 after halftime.
The Bears visit Louisville next Saturday with the Cardinal in the thick of the conference’s championship game chase after the ACC’s two teams with Top Ten rankings, Georgia Tech and Miami, fell in upsets. The Bears have lost two straight after starting the season 5-2.
Stanford Cardinal wide receiver CJ Williams (3) falls into the end zone while the Pitt Panthers cornerback Rashad Battle (15) and defensive back Kavir Bains-Marquez (23) couldn’t put the stop on Williams. It was one of two touchdowns for Williams at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto on Sat Nov 1, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal photo)
By Michael Roberson
STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (3-6, 2-4 ACC) discontinued their perfect home record, with a 35-20 defeat to fellow Atlantic Coast Conference foe Pittsburgh Panthers (7-2, 5-1) on a sunny Saturday afternoon battle in Palo Alto.
The Cardinal started the game with possession of the ball. That turned out to be not as advantageous as originally anticipated. Their drive lasted a little over two minutes, before turning the ball over on downs. A fourth down attempt was denied in their own territory (35).
The Panthers wasted no time with that early gift. They parlayed that into a touchdown in less than two minutes. Freshman QB Mason Heintschel tossed a 17-yard TD pass to junior WR Kenny Johnson. The Quaker State visitors took the lead by seven, 7-0. The Cardinal needed something to happen on their second drive.
Stanford did respond with a scoring drive of their own shortly thereafter. Senior kicker Emmett Kenney booted a 39-yard FG. That conversion brought the home team within four, 7-3. They would unexpectedly receive the ball back to the offensive side.
Pitt’s possession ended abruptly when they fumbled and turned over the ball 2 1/2 minutes into their drive. Instead of increasing their advantage, they gave Stanford the opportunity to take over the lead.
The Cardinal did just that, with hopes of keeping their undefeated streak at home alive and Coach Reich’s interim season. In less than a minute upon snatching the ball from their guest from the Keystone State, redshirt-senior QB Ben Gulbranson launched a 35-yard TD pass to senior WR C.J. Williams. Stanford was on top by three, 10-7. Although there was nearly 6 1/2 minutes left in the quarter, that lead lasted to the end of the first quarter.
Four seconds into the second quarter, Pitt’s sophomore WR Deuce Spann scampered into the endzone from four yards away. The Panthers regained the lead by four, 14-10. They had the ball back in their collective hands less than a minute later, due to a Gulbranson interception. Pittsburgh did not capitalize on that particular turnover.
Just under 10 minutes left in the half, Gulbranson threw another INT to their feline opponents, Nearly eight minutes later, Pitt was on the scoreboard again. Heintschel lofted a five-yard TD to redshirt-senior WR Raphael “Poppi” Williams Jr. to increase their margin to 11, 21-10. That almost was the score at recess, but something else transpired.
Kenney came through at the whistle, with triple zeroes on the scoreboard, he booted a 45-yard FG. At halftime, Stanford closed the deficit to eight, 21-13.
With a one possession lead, Pittsburgh was starting the second half with the ball on their side. Unfortunately for them, their time with the pigskin was short lived. Although, later in the stanza, the Panthers did add more points to their total.
Heintsghel dished a 14-yard TD strike to senior TE Jake Overman, to put the ungrateful guests up by two scores, 28-13. They were not finished with the scoring opportunities; however, the next points addition was provided by the defense.
Freshman cornerback Shawn Lee Jr. orchestrated a 30-yard pick-6 on Gulbranson, giving them a three score advantage, and seemingly total control of the game, 35-13.
About five minutes later, Pitt was on the verge of blowing the game completely wide open, with the ball on the goal line. To the contrary, Heintschel inexplicably threw an ill-advised interception in the endzone, to Cardinal sophomore cornerback Brandon Nicholson. Instead of a touchdown for the Panther, it was a touchback for Stanford.
Gulbranson was replaced by his backup redshirt-freshman Elijah Brown, presumably after throwing three interceptions in three quarters. 35-13 was also the score after 45 minutes of game time.
Less than 10 minutes left in the final quadrant, Deja Vu happened for both teams when the combination of Heintschel and Nicholson in the end zone reoccurred. Another chance to debark the Cardinal thwarted. Nearly six minutes later, the Panthers let another scoring opportunity slip through their claws, when they fumbled near Stanford’s goal line. 21 potential points left on the field, despite the already 22 points advantage.
The Cardinal showed their pride inside Stanford Stadium, with :18 left in the game, Brown hit senior WR C.J. Brown for a 19-yard TD strike and a little salvation. Instead of being down by 43, they were within 15 by the completion of 60 minutes, 35-20.
The Cardinal will next be in action Saturday, November 11 in Chapel Hill, as they face the North Carolina Tar Heels at 4:30 PM ET/1:30 PM PT on The CW Network. The Panthers will be back in Pittsburgh November 16 hosting Notre Dame at TBD.
Milwaukee Bucks Kyle Kuzma (18) commits a foul on the Sacramento Kings Zach LaVine (8) in first half action at Fiserv Arena in Milwaukee on Sat Nov 1, 2025 (AP News photo)
By Barbara Mason
The Sacramento Kings (2-4) played a miserable first quarter trailing 47-36 before turning this game completely around outscoring the Milwaukee Bucks (4-2) in the second and third quarters before tucking this game away in a nail-biter in the fourth quarter 135-133.
This was the Bucks first home loss of the season. The Kings had four of their starters finishing with 20+ points with Zach LaVine leading the way with 31 points.
Game recap: Unlike every game played this season so far, the Kings had a horrible start falling behind 15-2 early in the first quarter. The largest lead for the Bucks was 15 as Sacramento struggled throughout the entire opening quarter.
The Bucks were shooting over 70% from the field and they were seven of ten from beyond the arc for 70%. As the first 12 minutes of play came to an end the Kings trailed 47-36. The Kings were shooting almost 54% from the field but were getting stomped from outside. They had only hit a single three while the Bucks finished the quarter eight of 13. Sacramento had a single turnover in the game in the first quarter.
The Kings had a better start in the second quarter pulling to within six points 49-43 early in the quarter. The Bucks turned that around pulling back ahead by double figures and again the Kings continued to get outplayed trailing 59-45 at the eight minute mark.
The Kings made a push with 4:34 left in the quarter trailing by three points 57-60. Sacramento had really turned things around displaying a lot of confidence going on a nice run and cutting a significant deficit.
The Kings had made defensive adjustments and made this a highly competitive game. Had it not been for some sloppy ill-timed turnovers by Sacramento this game could have been even closer with Sacramento taking the lead into the locker room at the half.
Despite that the Kings had really pulled it all together as the score at the half had Sacramento trailing by a single point 71-70. They had outscored the Bucks in the second quarter 34-24 after getting scorched in the first.
The Kings got the third quarter underway taking their first lead of the game after trailing by as much as 15 points. The Bucks long shots had cooled off and the Kings began to hit shots from beyond the arc.
At 9:45 in the quarter this game was tied at 78. At 8:01 the game remained a tie now at 81. At the seven minute mark the Kings took their largest lead of the game 86-83. This game took an unexpected turn when at 4:07 the Kings had a 97-87 lead.
They had gone on a 10-0 run playing at a high offensive level. Doc Rivers took the second timeout of the quarter trying to re-group and put the stops on the surging Kings. Sacramento went on to outscore the Bucks in the third quarter 38-31 leading after three 108-102.
The question now remained, can the Sacramento Kings finish this game? The Kings have seen themselves self-destruct in the final minutes of numerous games this season. After starting this game in terrible fashion they would need to finish the game on a high note, the fourth quarter would be a battle.
Sacramento had led by double figures in much of the third quarter but the Bucks had begun to creep into the fourth trailing by single digits. With 3:54 left in the game, the Kings called a time-out looking to protect their 126-119 lead.
The Kings called another time-out with three minutes left in the game and a slim 128-123 lead. With just over two minutes left on the clock the wheels began to come off for the Kings. They were able to deny the Milwaukee push and were able to finish the game.
The Sacramento Kings held on to win the game 135-133 for their second win this season and it was a great win for the team after so many close games and disappointing fourth quarters.
Domantas Sabonis had a season high 24 points and 13 rebounds, a double double. Zach LaVine had the team high of 31 points and DeMar DeRozan finished with 29 points. Dennis Schroeder had 24 points in a game in which the Bucks shot around 60%.
The Kings had ten turnovers and shot 87% from the line. This was certainly a ray of hope for Sacramento playing three amazing quarters after opening the game on such a sour note. They fought to the end, finished the game and were rewarded with the win despite being the underdogs.
Game notes: The Kings have had a rough start this season. They were in the middle of a challenging road trip taking on the elite teams in the NBA but the win against the Bucks on this trip after losing in Chicago Wednesday was a game where they met the challenge.
They have had hot starts in most of these games, they have led deep into the fourth quarter on occasion but have been unable to finish as their season record indicates. They have a core of seasoned veterans that can get the job done but they have fallen just short in every game they have played with the exception of their one win over the Utah Jazz.
Saturday they took on another of the league’s best, the Bucks at Fiserv Forum and came away with a two point win handing the Bucks their first loss on their home floor. The Bucks are smart, efficient and were highly favored in this game but in the end they couldn’t hold on.
This had been a brutal stretch for the Kings who lost the first two games to start the trip and there are more bumps in the road as this road trip continues but the win against the Bucks was a sweet win for the Kings who never gave up.
Unfortunately for Sacramento Malik Monk will missed Saturday’s game with a personal issue. The Kings leaned on Russell Westbrook, Keon Ellis and Devin Carter in his absence.
Monday night the Kings will finish off this demanding road trip taking on the Denver Nuggets. They will be looking to take the energy and confidence from this win into Ball Arena. Tipoff for this game is scheduled for 6:00 PM.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
San Jose Sharks center Philipp Kurashev (96) takes a shot that goes past Colorado Avalanche goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood (39) for a goal in overtime at SAP Center in San Jose on Sat Nov 1, 2025 (AP News photo)
By Mary Walsh
The San Jose Sharks defeated the Colorado Avalanche in overtime in Saturday afternoon 3-2. Macklin Celebrini and Phillip Kurashev scored for San Jose. Yaroslav Askarov made 36 saves for the win. Martin Necas and Nathan MacKinnon scored for Colorado. Mackenzie Blackwood made 20 saves in the loss. The win ended a 12 game losing streak for the Sharks against the Avalanche.
The Sharks looked outmatched in the first two periods, but the game did not get away from them. After the game, Macklin Celebrini said: “I think we were just asleep at the start. I think, I mean I know I wasn’t playing my best by any means. I thought we just did a good job weathering it.”
A big part of weathering the Avalanche fell to Yaroslav Askarov and his 36 saves. Of his own performance in Saturday’s 1:00pm game, he said: “Today felt great. I wish we would have more like morning games.” He laughed.
Just 30 seconds in to the game, Martin Necas took a shot from the left circle that went through traffic and off the far post. Assists went to Cale Makar and Devon Toews.
Sharks defenseman Timothy Liljegren was on the bench when he was struck by a deflected puck and had to leave the game at 17:05 with an upper body injury. He did not return to the game.
At 18:21, Macklin Celebrini tied it. Tyler Toffoli skated into the zone on the right side and passed the puck back to Celebrini as center entered the zone to take a shot right down the middle. Assists went to Toffoli and Shakir Mukhamadullin.
The Sharks were outshot in the first, 15-6, not getting their first shot until after the six-minute mark.
The Sharks took the lead with a goal from Phillip Kurashev at 4:07 of the second period. That goal made it a three-game goal streak for Kurashev. Assists went to Ty Dellandrea and John Klingberg.
Colorado’s second goal came on a disputed play. Nathan MacKinnon had not yet taken the shot when the Sharks net was knocked from its moorings by Askarov. No one pushed Askarov into the post, so that could be why the goal was not waived off. The goal was deemed an Awarded Goal.
The Sharks were outshot again in the second period, 15-5. They had one penalty to kill and no power plays. In the third period, the shots were a little closer, 9-7 Sharks. The Avalanche took two penalties in the third but killed them both off.
Almost halfway through overtime, Phillip Kurashev scored the OT winner off the rush, shooting past Cale Makar’s stick and sending the puck off the far post and in. An assist went to Alexander Wennberg.
The Sharks next play on Sunday at 5:00 PM PT, hosting the Detroit Red Wings in San Jose.
San Jose Sharks center Tyler Toffoli (73)celebrates with teammates after scoring in the second period against the New Jersey Devils at SAP Center in San Jose on Thu Oct 30, 2025 (AP News photo)
San Jose Sharks podcast Mary Lisa:
#1 How can Macklin Celebrini’s speed and shot‑volume help the Sharks challenge Colorado’s defence and spark their transition game?
#2 With veteran forward Tyler Toffoli in the lineup, how might the Sharks lean on his experience to create scoring chances against a top‐tier team like the Avalanche?
#3 On the back end, how will John Klingberg and his right‑shot defence partner adapt their breakout strategy to match Colorado’s speed and puck‑movement?
#4 What role is likely for newcomer Jeff Skinner in the Sharks’ top‑six, and how might he exploit the Avalanche’s weaknesses near the net or on the power‑play?
#5 Between the pipes, if Alex Nedeljkovic gets the start, what mental and tactical adjustments will he need to make facing a high‐scoring Colorado offence to give San Jose a chance?
Sacramento Kings forward/center Drew Eubanks (19) has the ball rebounded away from him by the Chicago Bulls forward/guard Isaac Okoro in the first half at the United Center in Chicago on Wed Oct 29, 2025. The Kings tip off against the Milwaukee Bucks Sat Nov 1, 2025 (AP News photo)
Sacramento Kings podcast Tony Harvey:
#1 How will Zach LaVine’s scoring ability impact the Kings’ chance to challenge the Bucks’ defense?
#2 With DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis both in the frontcourt, can Sacramento win the rebound and interior-play battle against Milwaukee?
#3 Given that Keegan Murray is out of the line up against the Bucks today how will his absence impact the Kings?
#4 What role will Dennis Schröder play in orchestrating the offense, and how might his playmaking affect the Kings’ ability to generate quality shots?
#5 With the Kings looking to improve their road performance, how significant is it that they play at Milwaukee’s home court, and which Sacramento players will need to step up under that pressure?
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Ontario Reign forward Taylor Ward celebrates his goal along the wall with his teammates against the San Jose Barracuda at Tech CU Arena on Friday OCT 31, 2025. (San Jose Barracuda)
by Marko Ukalovic
SAN JOSE — It was ghoulish night for the first ever game played on Halloween in the franchise history of the San Jose Barracuda.
The Ontario Reign played the role of Frankenstein’s monster with a four goal second period en route to a 6-1 blowout victory on Friday evening at the haunted house known as Tech CU Arena.
San Jose has lost three out of its last four games. Ontario has won four out of its last five games.
Ontario (5-2-1) drew first blood early in the first period. Martin Chromiak centered a pass from behind the net out to Taylor Ward whose initial shot was stopped by Cuda goalie Jakub Skarek. Ward fought through a check in front of the crease and collected his own rebound and beat Skarek for his fourth goal of the season at the 4:48 mark.
San Jose (2-5-0) responded a power play goal late in the opening frame. A shot from the point by Luca Cagnoni was stopped by a sprawled-out Reign goalie Erik Portillo in front of a sea of traffic. Colin White pounced in from the point and his shot attempt hit off of Oliver Wahlstrom after a mad scramble in front of the crease for Wahlstrom’s first goal of in a Cuda sweater at the 18:09 mark.
It was the seventh consecutive game San Jose has conceded the game’s first goal. Ward has seven points in his past two games.
The Reign regained the lead with an even strength goal early on in the second period. Koehn Ziemmer’s shot from the right wing was redirected past Skarek by for his third goal of the season at the 6:59 mark.
Ontario went up by two goals after a turnover by San Jose in the neutral zone at the halfway mark of the middle frame. Samuel Bolduc skated in on a breakaway before sliding a backhander through the five-hole of Skarek for his fourth goal of the season at the 10:27 mark.
The Reign scored its third unanswered goal in the period. A shot from the point caromed off of both posts before Jack Hughes poked home the rebound at the 12:40 mark. Ziemmer and Angus Booth were credited with the assists on Hughes’ first goal of the season.
That was the end of the night Skarek as Cuda head coach John McCarthy inserted backup goalie Gabriel Carriere. Skarek went to the showers with 13 saves on 17 shots.
San Jose immediately didn’t do any better after the goalie change. Jakub Dvorak made it 5-1 with a four-on-four game at the 13:47 mark. Ward sent a cross-ice pass over to Dvorak who beat Carriere with a one-timer top shelf for his first goal of the season.
Kenny Connors made it five straight unanswered goals for Ontario as the puck deflected off of Cagnoni and Connors fired a shot past Carriere for his first career AHL goal at the 4:32 mark of the third period.
Portillo finished the game stopping all but one of the 36 shots he faced to earn his third win of the season. Carriere made four saves on six shots in mop up duty.
GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 1-for-5 on the power play. Ontario went 0-for-4.
UP NEXT: San Jose and Ontario conclude their two-game weekend series on Saturday November 1st at 6:00pm at Tech CU Arena.
According to sources the top three cities that MLB and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred are considering for expansion are Utah, Portland and Nashville. Cities that look like their out of the hunt for expansion Oakland and Montreal two former MLB towns. (AP News photo)
MLB:The Frontrunners for Expansion
That’s Amaury News and Commentary
By Amaury Pi Gonzalez
Oakland is never going to get an expansion team in Major League Baseball. John Fisher folded his tent in Oakland and took the Circus on a crusade to Sacramento, with Las Vegas as their ultimate stop. John Fisher killed Major League Baseball in Oakland.
But currently, two cities are leading the race for expansion. Portland, Oregon, and Salt Lake City, Utah. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has stated that he hopes to have the expansion process in place before his term ends in January 2029. –
Numero Uno: Portland seems to be ahead and a leading contender for one of the two expansion cities. Portland is pursuing a team through its Portland Diamond Project. They have strong civic support and plans for a stadium.
A final ownership group of people with financial resources is still needed; the largest city in Oregon is leading the way. The Portland Trail Blazers are the only professional team in the top leagues: the NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB. The State of Oregon has a total population of 4,280,000, of which 635,000 live in Portland, its largest city.
-Numero Dos: Salt Lake City. They are preparing to be a potential Major League Baseball expansion city. They are developing a 100-acre Power District, for mixed use that includes a site for their future ballpark, together with housing, retail and green spaces.
The construction of that district is underway and basically waiting for MLB through their Commissioner Rob Manfred to select them as a one of the two new major league towns. The State of Oregon population is 4.5 million and Salt Lake City their largest city with 218,000 residents.
Officials in Salt Lake City said that they intend to be “shovel-ready” for the job, if a team is awarded. In the State of Utah there are two teams among the top pro-sports league. The Utah Jazz in the NBA and The new NHL team, the Utah Mammorth which officially began play in the 2024–25 season.
Last two: The last expansion teams in MLB history were the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Tampa Bay Rays, which began play in 1998. Currently, MLB has 30 teams, the NBA has 30, the NFL has 32, and the NHL has 32. Major League Soccer (MLS) does not rank higher than the MLB, NBA, NFL or NHL in terms of average franchise valuation or revenue. The main reason I have not listed them.
Happy Halloween!
Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.
While in the Bay Area, great food and great prices. 998cuba.com
San Jose Sharks left winger William Eklund (72) scores on the New Jersey goaltender Jake Allen (34) in the first period at SAP Center in San Jose on Thu Oct 30, 2025 (AP News photo)
San Jose Sharks podcast Lincoln Juarez:
#1 How quickly did William Eklund score for the Sharks, and in what fashion did he get that goal?
#2 The two Sharks were really moving offensively against New Jersey the two Sharks players who scored a goal and an assist each from the match they were Alex Wennberg and Philipp Kurashev,
#3 Sharks’ goalie Alex Nedeljkovic saved 29 shots out 31 shots and was the key figure keeping the Devils out of the nets on Thursday night.
#4 What milestone did Alexander Wennberg achieve during this game while also contributing offensively?
#5 The Sharks begin the first of back to back games starting with the Colorado Avalanche Saturday at 1pm and on Sunday against the Detroit Red Wings at 5pm. Do you see the Sharks handling these two teams much like they did against New Jersey?
William Eklund celebrates his goal at SAP Center during the first period on Oct 30, 2025 (AP Photo)
By: Fernando Abarca (Sharks Beat writer)
SAN JOSE, CA– Thursday Night Hockey at the tank is always a great plan when the Teal win at home.
The San Jose Sharks were on a mission — and by the end of the night, they could proudly say, “Mission accomplished.” The Teal finally captured their first home win of the season, bouncing back impressively after a close loss to the Kings earlier in the week. Coming into this matchup against one of the top teams in the Metropolitan Division, the Sharks were certainly not the favorites — but they proved that determination and energy can flip any script.
Adding a touch of nostalgia, San Jose debuted their long-awaited throwback jerseys — and perhaps, just perhaps, they brought a little bit of luck with them. It was a touch of nostalgia in the game too as the Sharks who had not won a regulation game at home this season defeated the New Jersey Devils 5-2 at SAP Center.
The Sharks wasted no time making their presence felt. Just 42 seconds into the first period, William Eklund struck with a quick response, once again proving to be a key figure for this young San Jose squad. His early goal gave the Sharks exactly what they needed — momentum and belief.
Throughout the opening period, San Jose’s offense looked as sharp and cohesive as it has all season. Despite facing a tough and evenly matched opponent, the Sharks showcased a different mindset — faster, more aggressive, and more dominant. Their efforts paid off as Philipp Kurashev and Alexander Wennberg each found the back of the net before the end of the period, giving San Jose a commanding 3–0 lead heading into intermission.
The Devils responded early in the second period, taking advantage of a power-play opportunity when Dawson Mercer buried a shot to cut the deficit to 3–1. But the Sharks didn’t flinch. They stayed aggressive and continued to attack, with Will Smith and Tyler Toffoli each adding goals to extend the lead and reaffirm their importance to the team’s offensive core.
The third period tested the Sharks’ composure, as the Devils pressed hard to get back into the game. making several key saves to preserve the lead and keep San Jose in control. The defensive unit also stepped up, blocking shots and maintaining structure even as New Jersey increased the pressure late.
When the final horn sounded, the crowd at SAP Center erupted in celebration. The 5–2 victory wasn’t just another regular-season win — it felt symbolic. For a team that has struggled to find consistency early in the season, this performance showcased what the Sharks are capable of when their offense clicks and their energy stays high… as it should.
This home victory could very well mark the beginning of something positive for San Jose. With young stars like Eklund and Smith leading the charge, and veterans such as Toffoli and Wennberg providing experience and scoring touch, the Sharks showed balance, depth, and hunger. If they can carry this momentum forward, the Teal might just start seeing new things.
As the players saluted their fans at center ice, after the game, there was a sense of renewed belief in the building — a reminder that even in a long season, one big win can change everything.
November is going to start strong at the Tank as the Sharks welcome the Colorado Avalanche to kick off the month with perhaps another win.
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