Tag: Alex Nedeljkovic

NHL podcast Jessica Kwong: Canucks staring at 12 loses in a row organization problems; Goalie fights a raritey; plus more NHL news

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The Vancouver Canucks Elias Pettersson (40) wins a face off against the New York Islanders Jean Gabriel Pageau (44) at Rogers Centre in Vancouver on Mon Jan 19, 2026. The Canucks are on an 11 game loss streak and host the Washington Capitals on Wed Jan 21, 2026 (Canadian Press via AP)

NHL podcast Jessica Kwong:

#1 Can the Vancouver Canucks turn things around — or is an organizational reset imminent after their 11th straight loss? The Canucks continue to spiral, sparking trade-deadline rumors and tough questions about leadership and core players.

#2 How will the rare goalie fight between Sergei Bobrovsky and Alex Nedeljković shape the conversation around NHL physicality and passion? A goalie fight — the first in six years — got fans buzzing and raises bigger questions about emotion and confrontation in today’s game.

#3 Is the New Jersey Devils’ OT win over the Calgary Flames overshadowed by Luke Hughes’ injury and what it means for their playoff chase? Simon Nemec’s heroics were tempered by a serious injury to star defenseman Luke Hughes, a major narrative for New Jersey.

#4 Can the Islanders keep their momentum rolling — and is Anthony Duclair’s scoring surge a sign of playoff viability? Duclair’s two goals propelled New York to win again, piling even more pressure on struggling teams like Vancouver.

#5 Will the Anaheim Ducks’ four-game winning streak (including a big win over the Rangers) mark a real turnaround?

Jessica Kwong does the NHL podcasts every other Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Defeat Panthers 4-1 With 2 Goals From Defense, Goalie Fight Nedeljovic gets best of brawl

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Goaltenders with no love loss (left) the Florida Panthers Sergei Bobrovsky and (right) the San Jose Sharks Alex Nedeljkovic were throwing until Bobrovsky fell to the ice at Sunrise Fl on Mon Jan 19, 2026 (NBC Sports Bay Area still)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks (25-20-3) won 4-1 against the Florida Panthers (25-20-3) Monday. Will Smith, Vincent Desharnais, Mario Ferraro and Barcay Goodrow scored for the Sharks. Alex Nedeljkovic made 35 saves for the win. Eetu Luostarinen scored for the Panthers and Sergei Bobrovsky made 24 saves in the loss.

Sharks defenseman Vincent Desharnais was playing his first game after a long recovery from injury. After the game, he said: “It was a lot. After two months, coming back, having a game like that with penalties, goals, and goalie fight, just lots of hits too, it was a physical game. I think there’s no better game to get back into it.”

Desharnais went more into depth about the goalie fight, describing his perspective on the event:

“I tripped a guy, then I got hit from behind, I was on the ice just trying not to get stepped on and I got up and I just see Ned and Bob going at it and I was like ‘did I miss something here?’ It was a great fight. I don’t think [Reaves] needs to teach him anything.”

Before all that excitement, the game was more sedate. The Panthers outshot the Sharks 10-8 in a scoreless first period. Each team had one power play in the period.

Will Smith started a Sharks scoring spree just 50 seconds into the second period. Smith caught a rebound right in front of the net after a Tim Liljegren shot. An assist also went to Alexander Wennberg.

Vincent Desharnais doubled it up at 2:41 with a wrist shot from just outside the blue paint. He also caught a rebound, this one from Igor Chernyshov’s shot. An assist also went to Michael Misa.

Mario Ferraro made it 3-0 at 6:12. Skating in behind the play, Ferraro caught a rebound in the slot after a Chernyshov shot. The second assist went to Misa, again.

The shots for the second period were 11-9 Sharks. Each team again had one power play.

The Panthers hot on the board 43 seconds into the third period. Aaron Ekblad intercepted a Sharks clearing attempt and then passed it up to Luostatrinen on the blue line for the shot.

At 6:00 of the third, the game stalled for several penalties including a goalie fight. Bobrovsky went down and then left the ice briefly. Daniil Tarasov took the net but then left the ice without getting any play time as Bobrovsky was able to return. It was the first fight for either goaltender. The Sharks ended up with a penalty to kill.

The Panthers predictably pushed hard in the third, outshooting the Sharks 17-9, but they did not score again. Instead, Barclay Goodrow scored one into an empty net at 17:21 to make it 4-1.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday in Tampa against the Lightning at 4:00 PM PT.

Sharks Beat Capitals 3-2 With 3 Goals in 2:46

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San Jose Sharks right wing Colling Graf (51) celebrates his goal with teammates left wing Pavol Regenda (84) and others in the second period at the Capital One Center in Washington DC on Thu Jan 15, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks defeated the Washington Capitals 3-2 on Thursday. Zack Ostapchuk, Collin Graf and Pavol Regenda scored for the Sharks. Alex Nedeljkovic made 21 saves for the win. Dylan Strome and Ryan Leonard scored for the Capitals. Logan Thompson made 23 saves in the loss.

After the game, Sharks defenseman Dmitry Orlov referred to San Jose’s 7-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, saying:

“Much better game than the last game against Vegas. We managed the puck the right way. I would say in the third we kind of gave up a little bit, some pucks around the defensive zone, kind of some soft plays. So there’s always room to learn, to get better. But it’s a tough road trip and it’s good to get the first win today.”

The first period was scoreless, with the Sharks outshooting the Capitals 11-5 and a single penalty called against the Capitals.

Dylan Strome scored the first goal of the game on a power play at 10:58. Alexander Ovechkin passed the puck off the boards behind the net to Strome, who was right at the post to score with a backhand. An assist also went to Jakob Chychrun.

Zack Ostaphchuk tied the game at 13:27 with a snap shot. Dmitry Orlov crried the puck out of the Sharks zone and through the neutral zone, passed it to William Eklund and then chased it down beh8nd the net. He centered it just as Ostspchuk arrived for the shot.

Collin Graf gave the Sharks a lead at 14:53, tipping Pavol Regenda’s shot from the left boards.

Regenda scored the Sharks’ third goal at 16:13. Macklin Celebrini and Collin Graf won the puck battle behind the net and Celebrini passed it up to Regenda for the shot.

The Sharks outshot the Capitals 12-4 in the second period, despite taking two penalties and only having one power play.

Ryan Leonard made it a one-goal game with a snap shot high in the slot at 9:11 of the third period. Assists went to John Carlson and Martin Fehérváry.

The Capitals outshot the Sharks 14-3 in the third period, and took the only penalty.

The Sharks next play on Friday at 4:00 PM PT in Detroit against the Red Wings.

Sharks Bounce Back to Beat Maple Leafs 3-2 in OT

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San Jose Sharks’ William Eklund (72) and Alexander Wennberg (21) celebrate the game-winning goal against Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Dennis Hildeby (35) during overtime NHL hockey action in Toronto on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 in overtime. Dmitry Orlov, John Klingberg and Alexander Wennberg scored for the Sharks. Alex Nedeljkovic made 28 saves for the win. Dakota Joshua and Auston Matthews scored for Toronto. Dennis Hildeby made 29 saves in the loss.

Dakota Joshua opened the scoring at 14:33 of the first period. He tipped a shot from Jake McCabe. An assist also went to William Nylander, who started the play with a pass from behind the net.

The Sharks had two power plays in the first and took no penalties. The shots were even at 11.

Auston Matthews doubled the Maple Leafs lead with a power play goal at 14:32 of the second period. Nylander’s pass from acoss the ice found Matthews near the goal line and ready to shoot. An assist also went to Morgan Rielly.

Less than a minute later, Dmitry Orlov cut the Toronto lead in half. He took his shot from the left face-off dot and put it off the bar. Assists went to John Klingberg and Alexander Wennberg.

The shots were 14-8 Toronto in the second. The Sharks took two penalties and had no power plays.

At 8:54 of the third, Ryan Reaves put the puck in the net, redirecting a shot from Barclay Goodrow. The Maple Leafs challenged the play as offsides. Though Gaudette seemed to have control of the puck while backing into the zone, the challenge succeeded.

With their net empty, the Sharks tied it at 18:35 of the third. John Klingberg scored with a slap shot through traffic. Assists went to Macklin Celebrini and Wennberg.

Each team took one penalty and the Sharks outshot Toronto 11-5 in the third.

Wennberg capped off his three point night with the overtime game winner 2:49 into the extra frame. Skating into the zone two-on-one with William Eklund, Wennberg scored on the rebound from Eklund’s shot.

The Sharks next play on Saturday in Pittsburgh against the Penguins at 12:00 PM PT.

Sharks Lose 4-1 to Flyers, Graf Scores Lone Sharks Goal

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Philadelphia Flayers Travis Konecny scored his 500th career goal against the San Jose Sharks on Tue Dec 9, 2025 at Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost 4-1 to the Philadelphia Flyers Tuesday. Christian Dvorak, Carl Grundstrom, Noah Cates and Travis Konecny scored for the Flyers. Dan Vladar made saves for the win. Collin Graf scored the only Sharks goal and Alex Nedeljkovic made 26 saves in the loss.

After scoring first, the Sharks gave up four goals to the Flyers. After the game, Sharks forward Ryan Reaves said: “You can’t win in this league not playing in your structure. And we show it every other game right now. That’s why we’re just kind of middle of the pack right now and I think we know we should be a little bit higher.”

Alexander Wennberg said:

“I don’t think we came out the way we wanted. We talked about playing fast, playing hard, tough puck plays and get the puck to the net. I mean obviously it’s not to the standard we want. So… disappointing result and there were some good parts to the game but I mean we gotta come in and give them a better fight.”

Collin Graf opened the scoring at 11:33 with a snap shot. Will Smith made a cross-ice pass to John Klingberg, who sent it right back across to Graf for the shot.

Christian Dvorak tied the game at 18:39. Dvorak and Trevor Zegras broke away and went into the Sharks zone two-on-one against Sam Dickinson. Dvorak got around Dickinson and beat Nedeljkovic on the glove side with a backhand. Assists went to Zegras and Travis Konecny.

The Sharks were outshot 16-3 in the first period. The Sharks also took two penalties and the Flyers took none.

Carl Grundstrom scored the second Flyers goal at 3:20 of the second period. Grundstrom tipped a shot by Nick Seeler. A secondary assist went to Travis Sanheim.

Noah Cates scored the third Flyers goal at 19:48 of the second period. Bobby Brink made a pass to Cates as they rushed to the net. Cates beat Nedeljkovic with a wrist shot on the blocker side. Assists went to Brink and Jamie Drysdale.

The shots were closer in the second, 10-8 Flyers. The Flyers also took the only penalty in the period.

Travis Konecny scored the final goal from the Sharks’ blue line into an empty at 18:17. Dvorak got an assist on that one. The Sharks led in shots in the third, 7-4. The Flyers again took the only penalty in the period.

The Sharks next play on Thursday in Toronto against the Maple Leafs at 4:00 PM PT.

Sharks Beat Hurricanes 4-1, Celebrini Earns 3 Points

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San Jose Sharks Jeff Skinner (53) controls the puck against the Carolina Hurricanes Logan Stankoven (22) in the first period at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh on Sun Dec 7, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 on Sunday. Collin Graf, John Klingberg, Alexander Wennberg and Macklin Celebrini scored for the Sharks. Alex Nedeljkovic made 28 saves for the win. Jordan Staal scored for the Hurricanes and Pyotr Kochetkov made 18 saves in the loss.

The win was a noteworthy bounce-back from the two losses that preceded it, and the end of a five-game road losing streak. Goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic said: “I thought we did a good job of just hunkering down, staying with it in our own end in the third and keeping it simple.”

Macklin Celebrini found Collin Graf going to the net for the first goal of the game, just 33 seconds in. Will Smith got the secondary assist, having kept the puck in the zone before passing it to Celebrini.

The line was a new one for the season. “It was fun, it was a great start, great plays from Smitty and Mack, just going to the net, my stick on the ice,” said Graf. “I honestly didn’t really like see it at first, I just thought I was going to the net and he hit me right on the tape. So, pretty impressive,” he said, of Celebrini’s pass.

The Hurricanes tied the game with a power play goal at 13:38. Jordan Staal deflected a shot from Shayne Gostisbehere. An assist also went to Andrei Svechnikov.

Carolina out-shot the Sharks 8-6 in the first. The Sharks took two penalties in the first and killed one. The Hurricanes had just one penalty to kill.

The Sharks took back the lead with a goal at 7:54 of the second. John Klingberg scored the goal, carrying the puck in and passing it to Celebrini behind the goal line. Klingberg got the puck back when he was in a better shooting position and snapped it in. An assist also went to Philipp Kurashev.

Alexander Wennberg scored on the power play at 15:14. Wennberg snapped home the rebound from William Eklund’s shot. An assist also went to Klingberg.

The Sharks outshot the Hurricanes 9-6 in the second. The only penalty called was to Carolina.

Te only goal scored in the third period was an empty-netter scored by Macklin Celebrini at 18:40. Alexander Wennberg got an assist.

The Sharks took two penalties in the third period, both to Jeff Skinner and both stick infractions. The Hurricanes also had one stick penalty. Carolina outshot San Jose 15-7 in the third.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday in Philadelphia against the Flyers at 4:00 PM PT.

Sharks Rally But Fall 4-3 to Golden Knights

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San Jose Sharks center Will Smith (2) scores a goal on Las Vegas goaltender Carl Lindbom (30) in the first period at T Mobile Center in Las Vegas on Sat Nov 29, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 4-3 to the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. Tomas Hertl, Colton Sissons and Mitch Marner scored for the Golden Knights. Carl Lindbom made 18 saves for the win. Will Smith and William Eklund scored for the Sharks. Alex Nedeljkovic made 20 saves in the loss.

The Sharks made it back to a one-goal game, after falling behind 4-1 in the second period. After the game, Sharks defenseman John Klingberg said: “That’s a good team over there. They’ve been good for a lot of years. I think we played with them. There was a few scenarios in the second where we got beat and that’s how we probably lost the game.”

Alex Nedeljkovic described the beginning of the game: “They were on top of us in all three zones. They really didn’t give us much time and space. They didn’t give us a chance to breathe.” In comparison, at the end of the second, he said “Finally, we played fast, we were moving away from the puck and creating our own space.”

Will Smith scored the first goal of the game at 7:04 of the first. He caught a neutral zone pass from Tyler Toffoli then skated into the zone and snapped the puck past Lindbom on the glove side.

Tomas Hertl tied the game at 16:13 with a wrist shot from the slot. Assists went to Pavel Dorofeyev and Ben Hutton.

At the end of the first, the shots were 9-7 Vegas. There were no penalties called in the first.

Vegas jumped out to the lead at 5:36. Colton Sissons poked the puck past Nedeljkovic. Assists went to
Keegan Kolesar and Cole Reinhardt.

Mitch Marner made it 3-1 less than two minutes later. Marner used a wrap-around on Nedeljkovic’s stick side. Assists went to Brett Howden and Mark Stone.

Tomas Hertl added another at 12:38 on the power play, deflecting a shot by Mitch Marner. An assist also went to Jack Eichel.

Will Smith scored his second of the game on thew power play at 14:40. With a neat little move along the boards, Macklin Celebrini knocked the puck free and Smith met it in front of the net.

With 25 seconds left in the period, William Eklund carried the puck in and scored with a backhand. Assists went to Adam Gaudette and Mario Ferraro.

In the second period, the shots were 10-9 Vegas. The Sharks took two penalties in the second and they had one power play.

A scoreless third period saw just five shots per team. A single penalty was called, at 19:25 to Brayden McNabb for cross-checking Macklin Celebrini while the Sharks played with an extra skater. A close finish but no cigar for the Sharks.

The Sharks next play on Monday back in San Jose against the Utah Mammoth at 7:00 PM PT.

Sharks Dragged Down by Kraken, Lose 4-1; For SJ two straight loses

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San Jose Sharks Macklin Celebrini’s expression says it all as the Sharks in the second period at 3:03 are getting beat by the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on Sat Nov 15, 2025 (San Jose Sharks still photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks (8-8-3) fell to the Seattle Kraken (9-4-5) 4-1 on Saturday. Jaden Schwartz, Adam Larsson and Eeli Tolvanen scored for Seattle. Philip Grubauer made 19 saves for the win. Alexander Wennberg scored for the Sharks and Alex Nedeljkovic made 20 saves in the loss.

The Sharks looked much faster and better than their last game but still could not score as needed. After the game, Sharks forward Will Smith said: “We were moving, we had a bunch of chances. It was just one of those nights.”

Jaden Schwartz gave the Kraken a lead midway through the first period. Chandler Stephenson carried the puck in and sent it through the crease where it hit Schwartz’s skate and bounced back into the net. Assists went to Stephenson and Jamie Oleksiak.

The Sharks tied the game with a power play goal at 19:42. Alexander Wennberg redirected Macklin Celenrini’s shot from the right side. Assists went to Celebrini and William Eklund.

Matt Murray left the game at the end of the first period, right after the Sharks goal. He appeared to have a lower body injury. The Sharks had 7 shots in the first and the Kraken had 6. The Kraken took the only penalty.

Will Smith almost gave the Sharks a lead midway through the second period, but his goal was waived off for a kicking motion while sliding into the net.

The Kraken’s Adam Larsson did give his team the lead at 16:05. Larsson took the shot from just below the blue line through traffic. Assists went to Mason Marchment and Matty Beniers.

38 seconds later, Eeli Tolvanen scored to make it 3-1 Kraken. His shot came in a two-on-one with Stephenson.

The Sharks outshot the Kraken 14-10 in the second period. The Kraken took two penalties and the Sharks took one.

During their third power play in the third period, the Sharks pulled their goaltender. Jaden Schwartz shot the puck into the empty net to make it 4-1. Ryan Lindgren got an assist on that goal.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday at 7:00 PM PT in San Jose against the visiting Utah Mammoth.

Sharks Fall to Golden Knights 4-3 in Season Opener

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Vegas Golden Knights center Brett Howden (21) collides with San Jose Sharks goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (33) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025, in San Jose, Calif. Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost their season opener 4-3 to the Vegas Golden Knights Thursday. Brett Howden, Pavel Dorofeyev, Jack Eichel and Reilly Smith scored for the Golden Knights. Akira Schmid made 20 saves for the win. Jeff Skinner, Alexander Wennberg and Phillip Kurashev scored for the Sharks. Alex Nedeljkovic made 27 saves in the loss.

The Sharks scored first, a goal from Jeff Skinner at 5:31. Skinner batted the puck in off of a high rebound that he created with a shot off the goalie’s pad. Assists went to Ty Dellandrea and Shakir Mukhamadullin.

Vegas tied it at 8:09 with a wrist shot from Brett Howden. Howden picked up the puck near the blue line, off of a failed clear by the Sharks. Howden carried the puck in through traffic and across in front of the blue paint before taking his shot. Assists went to Keegan Kolesar and Ben Hutton.

Mukhamadullin took the only penalty of the first period, high-sticking against Jack Eichel. The Sharks killed that off. The shots were 10-9 Vegas after the first period.

Alexander Wennberg gave the Sharks a 2-1 during a five-on-three power play at 6:59 of the second period. Wennberg caught a rebound from William Eklund’s shot. An assist also went to John Klingberg.

Vegas responded with their own power play goal at 14:22. Pavel Dorofeyev caught a pass that came across the ice from Mark Stone. Jack Eichel got the secondary assist.

The second period shot count was 11-6 Vegas. The Golden Knights took three penalties in the period and the Sharks took two.

Phillip Kurashev scored for the Sharks to make it 3-2 at 2:59 of the third. Kurashev tipped a shot from Dmitry Orlov. Mukhamadullin picked up the secondary assist, his second of the night.

William Eklund missed two shots on an empty net. Moments later, Jack Eichel’s shot from the blue line slipped by Nedeljkovic’s right skate and tied the game with 94 seconds left in regulation.

The teams each took one penalty in the third period. The shots were also even at 8-8.

The game winner came off of Reilly Smith’s stick after Nedeljkovic came all the way out of the net to play the puck but did not do execute his plan well. It was particularly disappointing because the Sharks goaltender had just made a great stop on a two-on-none. An assist went to Shea Theodore.

The Sharks had no shots in overtime.

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

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

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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.