Tag: Dallas Stars

Defensive Dereliction Dooms Mammoth In 3-2 Loss To Dallas

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Utah Mammoth Mikhail Sergachev and the Mammoth lost a close contest to the Dallas Stars on Sat Jan 31, 2026 (photo from the Utah Mammoth X)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Kailer Yamamoto was a bright spot with two goals, but the Dallas Stars (31-14-9) capitalized on Utah (28-22-4) penalties to defeat the Mammoth 3-2 to open the last pre-Olympics homestand on Saturday night.

The Mammoth returned to Delta Center on Saturday night to face the Stars for the first of three games at home prior to the Olympic break. Utah began the 2026 portion of the season with an 8-1-1 record prior to embarking upon a four game Southeast road trip which saw a few streaks snapped for better and worse.

Opening the road trip with a 5-2 victory over the Nashville Predators, Mammoth netminder Karel Vejmelka won his NHL-leading 25th game of the season while winning his 5th consecutive start. Two days later, Vejmelka’s win streak would come to an end in Tampa Bay where the Lightning shut Utah out 2-0.

The next day against the Florida Panthers, backup goalie Vítek Vaněček snapped a 10-game losing streak in a 5-4 victory. Vaněček’s previous victory had been October 26 against the Winnipeg Jets. Vejmelka returned to the net on Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes where the Mammoth enjoyed a 4-2 lead with 1:59 remaining in the third period when Veggie surrendered three goals in 89 seconds to give Carolina a shocking 5-4 regulation win, sending Utah home with a split of the four games on the road.

The Mammoth put themselves in an early hole in the first period, with Sean Durzi and Jack McBain each taking delay of game penalties for putting the puck over the glass, and Dallas converting both power play opportunities for goals by Thomas Harley (his fourth) and Wyatt Johnston (his 29th).

Utah got one back at 10:23 of the first on Kailer Yamamoto’s eighth goal of the season, assisted by JJ Peterka and John Marino. The goal was challenged by the Stars for goaltender interference, but the call on the ice stood as the Mammoth halved the Dallas lead 2-1.

On the assist, Peterka registered his 100th career assist. With a little more than three minutes remaining in the frame, the Stars regained their two-goal lead on Matt Duchene’s ninth goal of the season, assisted by Jamie Benn and Sam Steel. The squads headed to the locker room with Casey DeSmith stopping 5 of 6 Mammoth shots and Vejmelka turning away 7 of 10.

Whereas the opening period resulted in four goals, the second period was a hard-fought scoreless draw, with DeSmith stopping 5 shots and Vejmelka turning away 11 as the score remained 3-1 in favor of the Stars.

Kailer Yamamoto gave Utah some life with his second goal of the game and fourth in the past two games with his 9th of the season at 6:41 of the third period, assisted by Peterka and Barrett Hayton, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the early defensive miscues as the Mammoth went on to lose 3-2. Vejmelka stopped 29 of 32 shots while registering his third consecutive loss.

Utah forward JJ Peterka said in the locker room after the game, “I feel like throughout the whole game, they made really good plays; they put a lot of pressure on us, especially D-zone draws for us. We had trouble executing and getting out of that zone. You have to give them credit for that.”

Yamamoto, who now has seven points in his last five games (5g, 2a), has been getting more ice time recently after having been a healthy scratch for a number of contests. He said, “I think just getting back into the lineup, obviously, is a huge confidence (boost). I haven’t played too many games here. Playing with JJ and Hayts, they’re amazing players too. They make plays with the best of them. They are very easy to read off and stuff like that. They were both fine to me.”

Head Coach André Tourigny, speaking of the performance of Barrett Hayton’s line, said, “Well, I think they work really hard and they simplify their game. I don’t think they did anything complicated. A big topic for us in the last month or so is to play the game that is in front of you. There’s some nights where there’s plays to be made. There’s some other nights, where there’s no play to be made. There was nothing tonight. There was no seam or easy possession. They played really well. So in those situations, you need to go with broken plays, with quick attacks from the forecheck or shot volume and bodies on the net. We had a little bit of stubbornness in ourselves tonight, of trying to play the game we wanted to play instead of playing the game that’s in front of us. I’m not blaming our guys, in the sense of Dallas played a hell of a game. They didn’t give us anything, but we need to learn and on those nights where maybe you don’t have your A game, you don’t have your execution, and the opponent plays well, we need to find a way to simplify and get the dirty goals.”

Tourigny acknowledged the team’s bad start, saying “We didn’t play well from the beginning in terms of, we’re not skating, if you look at those two pucks, we have time and space, so why are we not moving our feet and playing with pace. That just kind of illustrates our start and and even on the PK, we’re playing well. They have two shots and three goals on their first two power plays. It’s not like it was a shooting gallery with a lot of opportunities. They’re really good at the way they score and that’s the way they scored. They get tips and sticks on rebounds and stuff like that. We knew it, and they’re the second best power play in the league, for a reason, we need to stay out of the box in any way, shape or form. We need to find a way.”

On his team’s current anemic power play, Tourigny commented, “No doubt about it, I don’t think we have any swagger. I don’t think we have any kind of execution. At some point in this league, if you feel sorry for yourself, everybody will step in your throat, and nobody will let you get back up. So there’s no feeling sorry for yourself. You’re the best players on the team. You have an opportunity to be a difference maker, and you need to do it, and you need to hone your confidence, and you need to hone your play, and we need to be better in those situations. I think there’s a lot to be thought, to be brainstormed, maybe about that, but we need to find a way, because our five on five game is top five in the league, and right now we’re fighting for our life. We need to get our special teams, special situations, up to par.”

Next up for Utah (28-23-4) are the Vancouver Canucks (18-31-6) on Monday followed by the Detroit Red Wings (32-18-6) on Wednesday, after which the Mammoth will begin their Olympic break. When the break concludes, Utah will resume action on February 25 with another 3-game homestand, meaning they will not have played a single road game in the entire month of February with the exception of the team’s Olympians who will have been on the road in Italy.

Utah Mammoth game wrap: Mammoth Outshoot Stars 2-1 In Defensive Domination

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Dallas Stars left winger Jason Robertson (21) fights for the puck against the Utah Mammoth defenseman John Marino (6) in the second period at the Delta Center on Thu Jan 15, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Utah Mammoth and Dallas Stars were scoreless for nearly two full periods, but Marino’s third period goal put the Mammoth over the top 2-1 as Utah goes 4-0-1 at home in the new year defeating Dallas Stars.

Utah defenseman Mikhail Sergachev took to the ice for his 600th career game on Thursday night as the Mammoth (23-20-4) squared off for the fifth game of seven on the current homestand against the visiting Dallas Stars (27-11-9). Courtesy of the Mammoth stat crew, Sergachev joins teammates Lawson Crouse, Nick Schmaltz, Alexander Kerfoot, and Clayton Keller in reaching the 600 game milestone in a Utah jersey.

The opening frame was a scoreless affair, as Dallas netminder Jake Oettinger stopped all ten Utah shots, and NHL wins leader Karel Vejmelka turned away the five shot attempts by the Stars.

The second period was well on its way to also being another scoreless frame, but with 7 ticks left on the clock Nick Schmaltz tipped in a perfect feed from John Marino for his 17th goal of the season, with the additional assist to Clayton Keller, for a 1-0 Mammoth lead as time expired.

With the assist by Keller, he and Schmaltz have combined on 200 goals in their careers, the first U.S.-born teammates to accomplish the feat. Oettinger stopped nine of ten shots in the period while Vejmelka remained perfect in shutting down 12 shots by the Stars.

At 1:39 of the third period, Utah forward Barrett Hayton went to the sin bin for hooking against Roope Hintz, giving Dallas an opportunity on the power play to even things up 25 seconds later on Mikko Rantanen’s 19th goal of the season, assisted by Wyatt Johnston and Jason Robertson.

Two minutes later, putting the puck on the net from along the dasher boards between the top of the faceoff circle and the blue line, Mammoth defenseman John Marino combined again with Nick Schmaltz to score his 4th goal of the season as his shot deflected off the body of Oettinger, high up and over his head, landing just behind the Stars netminder in the crease and trickling over the line to give Utah a 2-1 lead.

With 3:22 remaining in the game, Dallas pulled Oettinger for an extra attacker as the Stars continuously peppered Vejmelka for the rest of the game, but Veggie’s wall stood up to the onslaught to earn his league-leading 22nd win of the season. Vejmelka has allowed two or fewer goals in six of his first seven games in 2026. Improving to 4-0-1 at home in the new year, Utah’s 5-game home point streak is now the longest in franchise history.

In the locker room after the game, Schmaltz talked about this being a statement win for his squad. “That was awesome. We talked about stringing together wins, especially on home ice, and I thought those last two games on home ice were some of our best of the year. I think the way we competed no matter what the score is, if they get one, whatever, we come back and respond and (we) played hard right ‘til the end, so huge win.” The Mammoth have struggled at times to hold leads late in the 3rd period, and Schmaltz was asked about holding the lead int he final five minutes. “I think just try to limit their time and space. They’ve got a lot of good players over there, so just pressure them, try to make them make plays under pressure. Obviously Veggie made some big saves for us down the stretch, and Stenny and those guys were stuck out there for a while, but they did a great job. We won some big draws, and it was a heck of a team effort.” Indeed, Utah won 67% of their faceoffs on the night against one of the top faceoff teams in the league.

“They’re stingy, they don’t give up much,” Marino told the assembled media. “Got to play a patient game out there. Obviously, they’re a great hockey team, and they have been the last couple of years. So to be able to get that win, kind of have that confidence as a team going forward.” Commenting on the Stars push in the final minutes, Marino said, “I think everyone didn’t panic too much, whether the guys were out there, tired, everyone on the bench, no one was screaming, shouting, everyone was pretty comfortable with the situation. So we learn from that and go forward. … Veggie has been unbelievable for us here down the stretch, so you got to give him credit when credit is due. Besides that, it’s a whole team effort out there, guys blocking shots, sacrificing themselves, backchecking, just playing the right way. You get rewarded for it.”

Head Coach André Tourigny couldn’t have been more pleased with the performance of his players. “I think, first, prep second, intensity and focus from our players, help from the trench guys and Mads (John Madden) did a really good job to prep the guys on faceoffs. We knew Dallas was a top team in the league, top five on faceoffs, and they run a lot of plays through it, and they generate a lot of possessions. I think the guys were tuned in and did a really good job.” Speaking of the importance of beating a division rival ahead of Utah in the standings, Tourigny said, “We needed two points, we need to keep winning. Obviously, against our division, it’s always bigger, but I don’t think we’re at the point yet where Dallas is. So for us, we need to keep focusing on what we have to do, keep performing. We played a good game on both sides of the puck, offensively and defensively. That team was tough to play against. The process was good. The performance is good. Let’s bottle that up and keep going.” Offering his own take on shutting Dallas down in the closing minutes, Bear said, “I think we were poised, but had intensity. It’s always that you want to be calm, but you want to be intense. You want to be patient, but you want to be aggressive. It’s the same as wanting to be poised, but you want to be urgent. So I think we achieved that. The boys were in control, but really intense. They were urgent, but in control with some good poise.”

Utah (24-20-4) returns to home ice Saturday afternoon for a matinee tilt against the visiting Seattle Kraken (21-16-9) who lost Thursday night on the road in Boston.

Utah Mammoth game wrap: Mammoth Unleash Six Goal Stampede, Bomb Maple Leafs To The Stone Age 6-1

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Utah Mammoth center Barrett Hayton (27) takes a shot against Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Dennis Hildeby (35) in the third period at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Tue Jan 13, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Utah Mammoth scored early and often in rout of Toronto Maple Leafs 6-1 to improve to 5-1-1 in January.

The Mammoth (22-20-4) squared off against the Maple Leafs (23-15-7) on Tuesday night for the fourth game of seven in the current homestand.  Making his Delta Center debut in a Maple Leafs sweater was former Utah forward Matias Maccelli who has seven goals and ten assists in 34 games so far this season for Toronto, one goal and point shy of his 2024-2025 season totals in 55 games.

The Mammoth took an early lead at 3:22 of the first period when forward Michael Carcone, who wasn’t expecting to return to Utah this season but ultimately re-signed with the team in July, put the puck past Maple Leafs netminder

Dennis Hildeby for his ninth of the season, assisted by Nate Schmidt and John Marino. Carcone, who grew up about 30 miles outside of Toronto, has scored the opening goal both times Utah has faced the Maple Leafs this season as well as their most recent matchup last season. 

The Ajax, Ontario forward is enjoying a bounce-back season after scoring just seven goals in 53 games last year.  The remainder of the opening period was scoreless, with Hildeby stopping 11 of 12 shots and Mammoth goalie Karel Vejmelka turning away all 6 shots on goal from Toronto.

Utah forward Dylan Guenther doubled the Mammoth lead at 5:26 of the second period with his team-leading 22nd of the year, assisted by Jack McBain and Ian Cole.  Barely a minute later, Guenther lit the lamp again with a laser beam over the shoulder of Hildeby for his 23rd of the season, assisted again by McBain.

Guenther’s two goals in a 78-second span are now the fastest two goals by the same player in franchise history, surpassing the previous record of 110 seconds by Logan Cooley last October against St. Louis.  At 15:25 of the frame, German Olympian and Utah forward JJ Peterka got in on the action scoring his 16th of the season, assisted by Daniil But and Cole, much to the delight of a large group of German tourists who are attending NHL games in Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles over the coming days.  The Mammoth took their 4-0 lead to the locker room, with Vejmelka stopping all 9 shots he faced in the period.

Toronto forward Calle Järnkrok spoiled Vejmelka’s shutout bid with his 6th goal of the season at 3:30 of the third, assisted by Oliver Ekman-Larsson, narrowing Utah’s lead to 4-1, but that would be the lone goal for the Maple Leafs as Utah continued to step on the gas.

At 13:29 of the final frame, Mammoth forward Jack McBain tipped in his 6th goal of the season, assisted by Guenther and Carcone, to restore Utah’s four-goal cushion.  McBain, a Toronto native, earned three points on the night against his hometown team, and now has seven points (4g, 3a) in eight career games against them.

  With three minutes remaining in the game, Daniil But put an exclamation mark on the Mammoth victory with his third goal of his rookie season, assisted by Barrett Hayton and Peterka, as Utah won its third game of the homestand 6-1 and improve to 5-1-1 in the new year.

Vejmelka stopped 19 of 20 shots in his winning effort, and leads the NHL with 21 victories this season.  Guenther’s first goal in the second period turned out to be the game-winner, his sixth on the season, just one game-winning goal shy of NHL leader Steven Stamkos who has seven. 

Defenseman Ian Cole, who recorded two assists in the game, spoke of the team’s killer attitude in his locker room interview.  “It’s more of a mindset for us, and sticking with that mindset regardless of what happens, whether we go up, whether we go down, whether it’s tied. Regardless of what the situation is, sticking with that and keeping that mindset. I think we’re getting better as we go here, but we have to keep building. That’s a good team to beat, but it’s not going to matter two days from now, so we have to do it again.” Talking about Utah’s defensive effort, which limited Toronto to 20 shots on the night, Cole said, “That’s a highly skilled team, so we want to take away time and space. You want to make sure that those skill guys have a tough time getting shots off and making plays. I think we did a pretty good job of that. It’s the right mindset, and it wasn’t just our D, It was our forwards too. We can keep good gaps, but if they don’t track back, it’s gonna be odd-man rushes all night. So they did a great job.” On the Mammoth having earned points in five straight games, Cole added, “It’s great. Accruing points is kind of the name of the game. We’re disappointed in how we let some points slip away early in the year, but as of right now, it’s kind of do or die. If we wait to find our game or we wait to turn this corner, we’re going to run out of time. There’s only eighty-two games in the season. We need to play well and play well right now. I think we’re making some great strides there.” 

Dylan Guenther added praise for the play of Michael Carcone in the game. “Yeah, he’s a really good player. I think he’s had success at every level, and he’s produced at every level. He’s worked for everything. So he’s a great guy to play with, and super fast. He’s a really big part of our team.” As for the hot start in the new year, Guenther said, “Yeah, it’s been a good stretch. I think we’ve talked about this stretch for a little bit, and have been looking forward to getting a little bit of time at home. So it’s nice to be getting points, and we play a really good team next game, so just make sure that we’re ready to go after a win like tonight.” For Utah, which fell just short of a playoff spot last season, continuing to press at this stage of the year is critical. “Yeah, I think that’s the big picture,” said Guenther. “I think we’re fighting, and every game’s a fight. So I think if we play like that every game, then, there’s a really good chance.”

A happy head coach, André Tourigny, opened his postgame remarks by saying, “Obviously, a really good game. We liked the pace of our game; the speed we had offensively and defensively. I think we attacked every shift with a lot of speed through the neutral zone and a lot of pace, a lot of pressure on their D. We knew (Toronto) was on the back-to-back; they played a big game yesterday. After the game against Columbus, I talked to you about the mindset. I said it’s not about focus, it’s not about execution. It’s the mindset we had in that game and the way we tried to play the game tonight. Obviously, we’ll take the result, but it’s more than that.” Bear talked about some of the line changes, including how McBain’s line performed as a unit. “I think they played hard and fast. They were really fast in everything they did. They never slowed down. They were coming really fast. That’s three good skaters. I think it clicked. Sometimes, it’s tough to explain why; it just happens. I think (Dylan Guenther) and (Michael Carcone) had success last year when they played together. Same thing with (Guenther) and (Jack McBain)–they had success when they played together last year. That was the rationale behind it. We were hoping (Daniil But) and JJ (Peterka) and (Barrett Hayton) would click as well. It is what it is.”  The “killer instinct” comment came up again in the interview with Tourigny, who responded, “We gave up five shots in the third. I think we kept the pace defensively. I feel, in a sense, (Toronto was) trying more plays and stuff like that. So they had a little bit more possession. Still, we played the right way. We put pucks behind; we were on them. They had no easy possessions. We were on them a lot.”

Next up for Utah (23-20-4) on Thursday are the Dallas Stars (27-11-9), who lost 3-1 to the Ducks in Anaheim on Tuesday night.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary:Sharks take the Stars down to Earth with 5-4 Overtime win

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San Jose Sharks center Tyler Toffoli (73) is greeted by teammates Pavol Regneda (84) and Mario Ferraro (38) after scoring the game winning overtime goal against the Dallas Stars at SAP Center in San Jose on Sat Jan 10, 2026 (AP News photo)

Sharks take the Stars down to Earth with a 5-4 Overtime win

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

SAN JOSE–After this Saturday’s home game against the Dallas Stars, which the Sharks won 5-4 in OT, they are 23-18, fourth place in the NHL Pacific Division. These Tiburones are as exciting as ever, with Mackluin Celebrini leading the pack and other young, talented players who have excellent offensive firepower, speed, and very aggressive play, making them dangerous and very competitive.

Always exciting. Today’s game (dedicated to First Responders in San José) was an extremely exciting affair (sellout) between two good teams on a sunny, spectacular afternoon in San José, as the Bay Area came out of a couple of weeks of rain and cold weather.

Although he did not score today, Celebrini is a top scorer in the NHL, ranking high in overall points and, specifically, in goals from mid-range. He consistently contends for league-leading spots, even among established stars, showcasing elite offensive talent as an NHL newcomer.

Celebrini at 19, recently became the youngest player named to the Canadian Olympic hockey team. With the potential to win an MVP or two in the National Hockey League Sharks’ goals for the win today:

Tyler Toffoli (2 goals, including the overtime winner) Adam Gaudette (1 goal) Alexander Wennberg (1 goal) Jeff Skinner (1 goal “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” -Wayne Gretzky Sharks Audio Network: Listen to San Jose radio broadcast on the Sharks Audio Network with legendary Dan Rusanowsky anhd crew.San José Sharks TV on NBC California with Randy Hahn and color commentary from Drew Remenda.

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.

LaTerraza Mexican Restaurant 1027 2nd Street in Old Sacramento give them a call at 916-440-0874

From the second you step in the front door, the sounds of Latin America will gently seduce your ears and continue as you relax outdoors with your favorite cocktail enjoying the view. The wonderful flavors and aromas of our cuisine will not disappoint.

We use only the finest, freshest, local ingredients in every dish and every dish is prepared to order. Enjoy live mariachi music weekly and on special occasions, catch balet folklorico dance performances among other live entertainment. Come visit us and have a great time! Enjoy fast, friendly service, fantastic food & cocktails, music and allow us to share our beautiful Mexican heritage with you.

LaTerraza Mexican Restaurant at 1027 2nd Street in Old Sacramento give them a call at 916-440-0874.

Sharks battle back to overcome Stars in 5-4 overtime thriller

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San Jose Sharks center Tyler Toffoli (73) who scored the game winning goal in overtime is on the bottom of the dog pile as San Jose defeated the Dallas Stars at SAP Center in San Jose on Jan 10, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Ryan Hannagan and Lincoln Juarez

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Tyler Toffoli scored in his second straight game including the overtime winner to complete the Sharks comeback against the Dallas Stars. Macklin Celebrini extended his point streak to 13 games with three assists in the Sharks 5-4 overtime win.

The first of back-to-back games at SAP Center this weekend featured the final meeting of the season between the Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks. The Sharks went into Saturday afternoon hot, winning 5 of their last 6 which has them sitting in the first wildcard spot in the West.

Dallas currently sits in 2nd in the ever-so stacked Central Division and have fire power and depth that has the potential to lead them to a deep playoff run this postseason. However, the Stars are struggling as of late, dropping 6 of their last 7 games. The last meeting against Dallas didn’t go well for the Sharks, who dropped the contest 5-3 in the Lone Star State.

The first shift of the game, Dallas came out firing, Alex Nedeljkovic had to sprawl down and make three saves to keep the puck out of the net. A few minutes later the Sharks had good chances off the stick of Macklin Celebrini and Igor Chernyshov. San Jose had a heavy shooting pace early, throwing 8 shots on goal in the first 7:23.

Although the San Jose offense was in charge early, the Stars lit the lamp first. Sharks defenseman Vinny Iorio had a costly turnover along the offensive zone blue line leading to a breakaway for Justin Hryckowian who ripped it past Nedeljkovic, 1-0 Stars.

The Sharks went on the power play soon after, but failed to make anything happen while not generating a shot on goal. San Jose had their best chance of the period with 3:22 left as Celebrini fed Chernysov in front of the net who shot the puck through the five hole of Stars goaltender, Casey DeSmith but not past the goal line, the puck sat in the blue paint and was swept out of danger.

The Stars went up 2-0 on a delayed Sharks penalty when Jason Robertson scored after drawing the San Jose penalty. After one, the Sharks outshot Dallas 11-9 but trailed 2-0.

Three minutes and 59 seconds into the second period the Sharks went on the power play when Macklin Celebrini drew a trip and Esa Lindell was sent to the box. On the power play, Celebrini fed Alex Wennberg in front and San Jose finally got on the board to get within one. Celebrini increased his point streak to 13 games with the assist on Wennberg’s ninth goal of the season.

The Stars played an undisciplined second period taking a lot of penalties. Colin Blackwell tripped Pavol Regenda sending team teal to the power play once more. The Sharks capitalized again up a man with a goal from Jeff Skinner off a perfect pass from Igor Chernyshov to tie the game at two.

The tie didn’t last too long, with one minute left in the period Stars defenseman Kyle Capobianco placed a perfect shot past Alex Nedeljkovic to give the Stars the lead back. At the end of two, the score sat 3-2 in favor of Dallas. The second period was controlled by the Sharks, yet they trailed after 40 minutes.

After back and forth play in the first 7:30 of the first third, Mikko Rantanen scored off a geometric bounce shot off Nedeljkovic’s pad to make it 4-2 Stars.

The Sharks great day on the power play continued in the third, Tyler Toffoli scored his first of two big goals in the afternoon from Celebrini, as the Sharks clawed back within a goal.

At 15:01 of the third period, Sam Dickinson threw a beautiful feed to Adam Gaudette in prime real estate just outside of the goal crease. Gaudette deflected the puck past Casey DeSmith to tie the game, 4-4.

Both teams traded chances in the final four minutes and change, but both goaltenders stood strong in their respective creases to send the game to overtime.

Not even a minute into overtime the Stars undisciplined play continued as Mikko Rantenen got sent to the box on a holding call. The Sharks powerplay, which was already 3-for-5, took to the ice looking to end the game and earn the extra point.

After a scramble around the net, William Eklund found Tyler Toffoli in the slot who ripped a one-time shot into the back of the net to complete the Sharks comeback.

San Jose went 4-for-6 on the man advantage on their way to a thrilling 5-4 win, which put them in third place in the Pacific and five games above .500 for the first time since 2019. The Sharks hope to take the momentum of a three-game winning streak into Sunday’s battle with the Vegas Golden Knights in what could potentially be a battle for first place in the Pacific pending a Vegas loss to St. Louis Saturday night.

Puck drop at 5:00pm at SAP Center.

San Jose Sharks podcast Len Shapiro: Sharks open up back to back nights with Dallas and Vegas; SJ picks up goaltender Brossoit from Jets

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The San Jose Sharks picked up goaltender Laurent Brossoit from the Winnipeg Jets on Thu Jan 8, 2026 (AP News photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast Len Shapiro:

#1 The San Jose Sharks picked up Laurent Brossoit from the Winnipeg Jets in a trade with the Chciago Blackhawks on Thursday. Brossoit agreed to a $6.6 million contract with the Blackhawks but never played for Chciago. Brossoit was out with a right knee injury last season. Brossoit had been playing this season in the minors after having off season hip surgery.

#2 Macklin Celebrini has been one of San Jose’s top offensive threats this season — how can the Sharks leverage his creativity and scoring touch to break through a strong Dallas Stars defensive structure?

#3 With William Eklund showing his knack for clutch goals and playmaking, what role might he play in generating early momentum for San Jose against Dallas?

#4 Alex Wennberg brings veteran leadership and reliable two-way play — how important will his faceoff performance and defensive zone coverage be in slowing down the Stars’ attack?

#5 On the blue line, Mario Ferraro’s physicality and ability to jump into the play could be key — how might his style impact the Sharks’ ability to limit Dallas shots from dangerous areas?

#6 Goalie Yaroslav Askarov has been tasked with net-minding duties — what adjustments must he make to handle the Stars’ skilled forwards and pace of play throughout 60 minutes?

Len Shapiro does the San Jose Sharks podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast Len Shapiro: Dallas makes Sharks see Stars in game’s end 5-3 at SAP Center

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Dallas Stars center Justin Hryckowian (middle) is congratulated by teammates defenseman Nils Lundkvist and center Oskar Bick (10) after scoring against the San Jose Sharks in the second period (AP News photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast Len Shapiro:

#1 How did Macklin Celebrini’s leadership show up in Thursday night, especially during key moments against a structured Dallas Stars team?

#2 What stood out about Celebrini’s impact in this game—did his pace and decision-making translate into meaningful offensive chances?

#3 How effective was William Eklund had six shots and he was a minus three, Alex Wennberg, Tim Tofoli also minus three.

#4 Did Mario Ferraro set the tone defensively against Dallas’ top forwards, and how did his physical play influence the Sharks’ overall compete level?

#5 What can the Sharks take away from Colin Graf’s performance scoring two goals , particularly in terms of finishing chances and consistency in a tight game?

#6 Len talk about the standings and talk about the where the Sharks are in the wild card it’s early but it’s a great representation of where the Sharks are?

Len Shapiro does the San Jose Sharks podcast each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Wyatt Johnston illuminates the Stars with two goals in 5-3 victory over San Jose

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San Jose Sharks forward Colin Graf (51) scores one of his two goals against the Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) at SAP Center in San Jose on Thu Dec 18, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Lincoln Juarez

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Wyatt Johnston potted two against the Sharks in a 5-3 victory for the Dallas Stars at SAP Center Thursday night. Colin Graf scored two of his own while Macklin Celebrini assisted on both adding to his third-best point total in the NHL.

The Sharks rode a three-game win streak into Thursday night’s matchup against the Dallas Stars, the NHL’s second best team. After a 4-1 loss in Dallas two weeks ago, team teal went into Thursday’s game playing with some new swagger.

San Jose started the tilt with a lot of offensive zone pressure met by the sizable Jake Oettinger in the Dallas crease. Oettinger turned away 12 shots in the first, keeping the Sharks scoreless through the first period.

On the other end of the ice, Alex Nedeljkovic was tested 10 times and beat twice. Roope Hintz got the game’s first at 12:25 of the first period on a nice feed from Mikko Rantanen. It was his 10th of the season to put the Stars ahead. Almost exactly five minutes later at 17:38 of the first, Wyatt Johnston scored his first of two on the night and his 18th of the season to make it 2-0 Dallas.

The Sharks had some high percentage scoring chances but couldn’t get the puck past Oettinger, other than a Zack Ostapchuk deflection that was ruled a high stick upon review.

It wasn’t until 1:43 of the second period that San Jose had an answer on Shakir Mukhamadullin’s second goal of the year. Ty Dellandrea set him up to get the Sharks within one and start the back and forth second period.

Both teams went blow for blow in the middle period as Wyatt Johnston answered right back with his second goal of the game to give the Stars their two-goal lead back.

Later on, Colin Graf scored his first goal of the night and seventh of the season off a sweet pass from Macklin Celebrini off an offensive zone face-off win.

Soon after, Justin Hryckowian made it a 4-2 Stars lead on a disgraceful giveaway by goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic who threw the puck loosely into the slot where Hryckowian took possession and buried it. “I just didn’t execute the play” said Nedeljkovic describing a play he felt confident to make considering he made a similar pass earlier in the game.

Hryckowian’s goal ended up being the game winner as the Sharks couldn’t claw back. Colin Graf added one more to the Sharks effort on the back end of a tik-tac-toe setup by Celebrini and Igor Chernyshov.

Jamie Benn capped off the Stars win with an empty-netter to deflate the Sharks hope of a comeback.

San Jose went 0-for-3 on the power play and couldn’t break the wall that was Jake Oettinger as he turned away 34 of 37 shots he faced.

The Sharks will wrap up the homestand with their last home game before the Christmas break against the Seattle Kraken at SAP Center at 7pm Saturday night.

San Jose Sharks podcast Lincoln Juarez: Celebrini will test out the Dallas defense at SAP Center Thursday night

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San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (71) scores an empty net goal in the third period against the Calgary Flames at SAP Center in San Jose on Tue Dec 16, 2025 (AP News photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast Lincoln Juarez:

#1 Macklin Celebrini has been a driving force for the Sharks, leading the team with 18 goals and 33 assists this season. How will he match up against a strong Stars defense?

#2 With Celebrini as the primary threat, how effectively can William Eklund and Tim Toffoli contribute to keep the pressure on Dallas?

#3 The Sharks have both Yaroslav Askarov and Alex Nedeljkovic available in goal. Which one gives San Jose the best chance against Dallas’s scoring depth?

#4 Players like John Klingberg, Dmitry Orlov, Timothy Liljegren, and Shakir Mukhamadullin will be key in shutting down Dallas’s top scorers — how well can they limit chances?

#5 Will special teams play a decisive role for the Sharks against the Stars?

Join Lincoln Juarez Fridays for the Sharks podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast Mary Lisa: Sharks face off with hot Hurricanes Sunday in Raleigh

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San Jose Sharks podcast Mary Lisa Sat Dec 6, 2025:

The Dallas Stars Sam Steel (18) takes a shot against the San Jose Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov (30) in the third period at American Airlines Center on Fri Dec 5, 2025 (AP News photo)

#1 Given that Collin Graf scored the lone San Jose Sharks goal in the 4-1 loss to the Dallas Stars Friday night, what could he — or the coaching staff — have done differently to generate more momentum or follow-up chances after tying the game 1-1 in the second period?

#2 With Yaroslav Askarov stopping 20 of 23 shots but still giving up three third-period goals, was fatigue or defensive breakdown in front of him more to blame — and what does this say about the Sharks’ defensive effort in that final frame?

#3 Considering veteran forward Jeff Skinner returned from injury for this game, did his presence (or performance) make any noticeable difference — and should the Sharks lean more on him offensively going forward?

#4 The Sharks went 0-for-4 on the power play — what could players like Macklin Celebrini or Graf have done better on the man advantage to avoid giving up control to Dallas in transition?

#5 After conceding three unanswered goals in the third period, what lessons should the Sharks draw for their road game strategy — and which players Askarov, defensemen, forwards need to step up to avoid a repeat collapse?

Mary Lisa does the San Jose Sharks podcasts Saturdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com