Sharks Fall 6-3 to Blackhawks, Just One Shot in First; Slumping San Jose drops their third in a row

Ryan Donato erupted in the Blackhawks’ 6-3 win over the Sharks on Monday (Michael Reaves/Getty Images file photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 6-3 to the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday. Connor

Bedard, Connor Murphy, Ryan Donato, Sam Rinzel and Ilya Mikheyev scored for Chicago. Spencer Knight made 24 saves for the win. Will Smith, Macklin Celebrini and Shakir Mukhamadullin scored for San Jose. Yaroslav Askarov made six saves on ten shots and Alex Nedeljkovic made five saves in relief.

This was the most lopsided loss for the Sharks since January 11, when they lost 7-2 to the Tampa Bay Lightning. After the game, Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini said: “After that first period, I thought we did a really good job of staying on top of them. Just a couple mistakes, a couple of chances we give up and they just put it away. When it’s going like that it’s tough to … bounce back.”

Sharks defenseman Vincent Desharnais said: “Our D-zone is clearly not good enough. Our forecheck too, I think that’s one of our biggest strengths, when our forecheck is going I feel like all three zones are going well. And it’s been a couple games now that our forecheck is not going or it’s going ten minutes out of sixty. So you gotta play a full game.”

The first goal of the game came at the seven minute mark of the first. Connor Bedard scored with a snap shot on the power play. Assists went to Teuvo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi. That was the only goal of the first period. The Sharks had only one shot on goal but the Blackhawks only had four. To the Sharks’ credit, they killed two of three penalties.

The Blackhawks doubled it up at 2:14 of the second period. Connor Murphy scored with a wrist shot from the top of the faceoff circle. Assists went to Matt Grzelcyk and Ryan Donato.

Donato scored his first of the night at 9:35 with a wrist shot. Assists went to Ilya Mikheyev and Jason Dickinson.

Sam Rinzel scored a minute later with a slap shot high in the slot. The assist went to Mikheyev.

The Sharks pulled Askarov after that goal and sent in Nedeljkovic.

Will Smith got the Sharks on the board at 12:05. His snap shot came from low in the faceoff circle. Assists went to Macklin Celebrini and Collin Graf.

Ilya Mikheyev scored less than a minute later, tipping a shot from Dickinson. Ryan Donato also got an assist.

Macklin Celebrini scored at 15:11 with a wrist shot from inside the faceoff circle. Tyler Toffoli got the assist.

The Sharks outshot the Blackhawks 12-9 in the second. There was a single penalty against each team in the middle frame.

Shakir Mukhamadullin scored with a backhand at 2:13 of the third period. Assists went to Philipp Kurashev and Vincent Desharnais.

Ryan Donato scored his second of the night at 14:41 of the third. Assists went to Mikheyev and Murphy. In all, Donato had four points on the night.

The only penalties called in the third went against the Blackhawks. The shots were 14-4 Sharks.

The Sharks next play in Colorado against the Avalanche on Wednesday at 6:00 PM PT.

Sharks Sink Canucks 5-2, 3 Points for Celebrini-Smith

San Jose Sharks Macklin Celebrini (71) raises his stick to celebrate scoring a first period goal against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Centre in Vancouver on Tue Jan 27, 2026 (Canadian Press via AP)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks defeated the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 on Tuesday. Macklin Celebrini, Adam Gaudette, Tyler Toffoli, Will Smith and John Klingberg scored for the Sharks. Smith and Celebrini each came away with three points. Yaroslav Askarov made 23 saves for the win. Tom Willander and Filip Hronek scored for the Canucks. Nikita Tolopilo relieved Kevin Lankinen early in the first and made 25 saves on 27 shots in the loss.

After the game, Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro said: “It was a big win, we came out, I thought we had some good energy in the first. I know they got that first goal in the four-on-four but I thought we played a pretty good, solid first period. And we kept it going.”

Tom Willander scored the first goal of the game at 1:15, playing four-on-four. Willander took his shot from high in the slot and through traffic. Assists went to Elias Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk.

Less than 30 seconds later, Macklin Celebrini tied it with a slap shot. Assists went to Will Smith and Sam Dickinson. That was the first of three goals in just over four minutes of play.

Adam Gaudette gave the Sharks the lead at 4:43 with a snap shot from the slot. He skated in with William Eklund, who passed h8m the puck at the last moment for the shot. An assist also went to Celebrini.

Tyler Toffoli made it 3-1 at 5:55. Alexander Wennberg passed it up from the goal line to Toffoli for the shot. An assist also went to Sam Dicksinson. The Canucks sent Tolopilo in to relieve Lankinen after that goal.

At the end of the first period, the shots were 15-8 San Jose. Each team had one power play.

The only goal in the second period was a power play goal from Will Smith at 9:07. Smith’s snap shot followed a cross-ice pass from John Klingberg. Celebrini also got an assist.

The shots were close in the second, 12-11 Sharks. The Sharks took three penalties, the Canucks four. Each team also had five-on-three power plays.

In the third period, the Sharks scored their fifth goal just 28 seconds in, at the end of the carry-over power play from the second period. John Klingberg scored it with a wrist shot off a Will Smith pass. Celebrini had the other assist.

The Canucks got one back at 9:15 on the power play. Filip Hronek scored with a slap shot from high in the slot off a pass from Pettersson. The secondary assist went to DeBrusk.

The Sharks next play on Thursday in Edmonton against the Oilers at 6:00 PM PT.

San Jose Sharks podcast Lincoln Juarez: How Sharks size up against Dallas Stars Saturday night

Los Angeles Kings left Kevin Fiala (23) gets the puck away against the San Jose Sharks left winger Jeff Skinner (53) at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Wed Jan 7, 2026 (AP News photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast Lincoln Juarez:

#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?

Lincoln does the San Jose Sharks podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Beat Kings 4-3 In OT, 3 Point Game for Celebrini

San Jose Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov (30) puts the stop on a puck shot by the Los Angeles Kings in the second period at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Wed Jan 7, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks defeated the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday. Tyler Toffoli, Adam Gaudette, Macklin Celebrini and William Eklund scored for the Sharks. Yaroslav Askarov made 23 saves for the win. Alex Turcotte, Kevin Fiala and Alex Laferriere scored for the Kings. Darcy Kuemper made 28 saves in the loss. The game was the last between the teams for the regular season.

After the game, Macklin Celebrini talked about how the team is feeling:

“You have a feeling in our group, we’re confident in those situations when we’re down 3-2 or tied 2-2 going in late against a really relly good team, a playoff team, so I th8nk it’s a different kind of swagger and feeling in our group.”

After a scoreless first period, the teams were tied or close in almost all respects: shots were 8-6 Kings, the Sharks had one penalty and the Kings none, and the teams were even in faceoff wins.

On their first power play of the game, the Sharks took a 1-0 lead. Tyler Toffoli scored with a wrist shot at 4:10 of the second period. Assists went to Alexander Wennberg and Macklin Celebrini.

The Sharks held that lead for a bit but Alex Turcotte tied the game at 11:34. His wrist shot got through a scrum in front of the net on a second rebound after Askarov made two saves but came out too far. An assist went to Kevin Fiala.

The second period shots were 13-10 Sharks, the penalties were three for Los Angeles and two for San Jose.

Adam Gaudette gave the Sharks another lead by tipping a shot from Timothy Liljegren for a power play goal at 5:38 of the third. Assists went to Liljegren and Jeff Skinner.

Kevin Fiala tied the game back up with a wrist shot about a minute later. Assists went to Turcotte and Joel Edmundson.

Edmundsson was briefly credited with a goal at 12:09. After a review, the goal was called back as Edmundson had knocked the puck into the net with his glove.

The Kings did take the lead at 17:50 with a shot from the blue line tipped by Alex Laferriere. Assists went to Joel Edmunson and Cody Ceci.

Macklin Celebrini tied it up again with a dazzling skill show at 18:53.

The Sharks won with a goal in overtime from William Eklund off a pass from Celebrini.

The Sharks next play on Saturday at home at 1:00 pm PT against the Dallas Stars.

Sharks Win 6-3 Over Canucks, End Losing Streak

San Jose center Macklin Celebrini celebrates his third period goal against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Centre in Vancouver on Sat Dec 27, 2025 (Canadian Press via AP photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks defeated the Vancouver Canucks 6-3 on Saturday. Ryan Reaves, John Klingberg, William Eklund, Igor Chernyshov, Macklin Celebrini and Collin Graf scored for San Jose. Yaroslav Askarov made 23 saves for the win. Linus Karlsson, Drew O’Connor and Marco Rossi scored for the Canucks. Thatcher Demko made 31 saves in the loss.

The win ended a three game losing streak for the Sharks, and also a many-year losing streak in Vancouver. The Sharks had not won a game there since 2019. After the game, Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky said: “When we’re skating, playing with structure, we’re competing, we’re a hard team to play against and we’ve seen that this year. We’ve just got to do it consistently.”

Ryan Reaves scored the first goal of the game at 6:11. A scramble in front of the net left the puck sitting in the blue paint between the goaltender and the goal line. Reaves pushed through the crowd and tapped it over the line. Assists went to Barclay Goodrow and Vincent Iorio.

John Klingberg made it 2-0 at 7:55. After catching the puck off of an offensive zone faceoff, Klingberg skated to the middle of the blue line for a wrist shot that went right in. Macklin Celebrini got an assist on the goal.

Linus Karlsson trimmed the Sharks lead to 2-1 with a power play goal at 10:04. Karlsson’s wrist shot came from in close, off a pass from Connor Garland. An assist also went to Filip Hronek.

The Sharks outshot the Canucks 11-8 in the first period. Each team took one penalty.

William Eklund got credit for the only second period goal. Eklund sent the puck into the net traffic and it went off of a Canucks defender and in.

The Sharks outshot the Canucks 11-6 in the second period and, again, each team took one penalty.

Just 36 seconds into the third, Marco Rossi made it 3-2. The rebound from a Filip Hronek shot went up in the air and right to Rossi. Assists went to Hronek and Garland.

Igor Chernyshov scored on the power play to make it 4-2 at 4:47. An Adam Gaudette pass found Chernyshov in front of the net for a wrist shot. An assist also went to Dmitry Orlov as well.

Drew O’Connor scored a short-handed goal at 10:43 with a snap shot.

Macklin Celebrini scored to make it 6-3. Chernyshov passed the puck up from near the goal line as Celebrini tapped his stick to call for the puck. Celebrini shot as soon as he go the puck, wasting no time. Assists went to Chernyshov and Eklund.

Collin Graf scored into an empty net at 18:55. Assists went to Alexander Wennberg and Mario Ferrraro.

San Jose held a small lead in shots in the third, 15-13. Vancouver took three penalties and San Jose took two.

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

Golden Knights Rout the Sharks, Win 7-2; Celebrini, Graf Extend Point Streaks, Loss streak hits

San Jose Sharks defenseman John Klingberg (3) and Vegas Golden Knights Mitch Marner (93) fight for the puck at the T Mobile Center in Las Vegas Tue Dec 23, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

LAS VEGAS- The San Jose Sharks were defeated 7-2 by the Vegas Golden Knights Tuesday. Bret Howden, Mitch Marner, Colton Sissons, Tomas Hertl, Mark Stone and Reilly Smith scored for the Golden Knights (17-8-10). Carter Hart made 21 saves for the win. Macklin Celebrini and Collin Graf scored for the San Jose Sharks (17-17-3). Yaroslav Askarov started the game for San Jose and made 12 saves on 16 shots. Alex Nedeljkovic made seven saves on ten shots in the 7-2 loss at the T Mobile Center.

The loss was the third in a row for the Sharks, and the lopsided score was more reminiscent of last season than this one. “When you’re chasing a game down five nothing, after the first against a team like that, it’s tough sledding,” said Ryan Reaves after the game. He described the Sharks’ game as “Doing everything the exact opposite of what we talked about before the game.”

Bret Howden started the scoring at 1:49. Skating into the zone, Howden passed the puck to Braeden Bowman, who passed it right back for Howden’s snap shot. An assist also went to Reilly Smith.

Next up was Mitch Marner with a power play goal at 9:07. From the hash marks, Marner sent the puck to the net and it went off of SJ21’s skate. Assists went to Noah Hanifin and Pavel Dorofeyev.

At 11:37, Colton Sissons made it 3-0. Skating into the zone two-on-one with Keegan Kolesar, trading passes, Sissons scored with a wrist shot from close in. An assist also went to Brandon Saad.

Tomas Hertl scored with a snap shot at 14:57 from the edge of the faceoff circle. An assist went to Dorofeyev.

The Sharks pulled Askarov out after that goal and sent in Nedeljkovic. On the first shot Nedeljkovic faced, Mark Stone scored with a backhand. Assists went to Ivan Barbashev and Kaeden Korczak.

At the end of the first period, The Sharks had just five shots on goal to Vegas’s 17. The Sharks toook two penalties and Vegas took one.

Macklin Celebrini trimmed the Vegas lead by one at 6:49 of the second period. Celebrini caught a pass in the slot and took his shot. That pass came from Tyler Toffoli.

Reilly Smith restored the five-goal lead at 18:50 with a slap shot off a pass from Korczak. An assist also went to Bowman.

In the second period, the Sharks had even fewer shots on goal, only four. Vegas had just five. The Sharks took the only penalty in the second.

Mitch Marner scored his second of the game at 5:22 of the third. Marner skated into the zone with Stone and Barbashev three-on-two. Marner, in the middle, caught a pass from Stone and scored with a wrist shot.

Collin Graf scored his tenth of the season at 8:04. Graf scored on a rebound from Toffoli’s shot. An assist also went to Alexander Wennberg.

The shots in the third were 14-4 San Jose.

The Sharks next play on Saturday in Vancouver at 7:00 PM PT against the Canucks.

Sharks Score four in 3rd, Beat Penguins 6-5 in OT

The San Jose Sharks Mackline Celebrini (71) gives a hug to John Klingberg (3) as the Pittsburgh Penguins Sid Crosby (87) skates off the ice at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on Sat Dec 13, 2025 (San Jose Sharks X photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks recovered from a third period 5-1 deficit to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-5 in overtime Saturday. Tyler Toffoli, John Klingberg, Willliam Eklund and Macklin Celebrini scored for the Sharks. Yaroslav Askarov made 38 saves for the win. Sidney Crosby. Rutger McRoarty, Kevin Hayes, Bryan Rust and Anthony Mantha scored for the Penguins. Arturs Silovs made 26 saves in the loss.

With their four-goal comeback, the Sharks displayed a ferocious calm that brought to mind their namesakes. They also made the biggest third period comeback in franchise history. “I think we just did a great job just kinda staying with it, playing as a team, playing up and down our lineup, even when we kinda got those injuries. It was a group effort,” said Macklin Celebrini after the game.

Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky said: “Credit to that group in there. They were extremely resilient, tough road trip. To finish that road trip like this in that type of game? That is impressive.”

Tyler Toffoli scored the first goal of the game at 10:27. His wrist shot came from the blue line, into the far side of the net. Assists went to Sam Dickinson and Alexander Wennberg.

Sidney Crosby tied it on the power play at 12:41. His with shot came from right in front of the net. Assists went to Anthony Mantha and Bryan Rust.

Rutger McGroarty gave Pittsburgh the lead at 00:19 of the second. McGroarty gathered up the puck in the neutral zone and skated in for a wrist shot. Assists went to Ben Kindel and Kris Letang.

Kevin Hayes padded the lead with a wrist shot behind Aslarov at 9:42. Assists went to N Acciari and C Dewar.

Bryan Rust made it 4-1 with a slap shot on the power play at 19:53. Assists went to Crosby and Mantha.

Midway through the second period, Phillip Kurashev was injured and left the game.

Early in the third period, Will Smith took a hit from Parker Wotherspoon. Smith went right to the dressing room. Macklin Celebrini responded with some rough stuff that landed him in the penalty box for four minutes.

Mantha scored another power play goal at 5:25 of the third period. His shot came from in close with a scrum at the net. Assists went to Rust and Eric Karlsson.

John Klingberg cut the Penguin lead by one with a power play goal at 7:33. His wrist shot came from the top of the faceoff circle into the far side. Assists went to Tyler Toffoli and William Eklund.

William Eklund made it 5-3 by poking the puck under Silovs at 17:32. Alexander Wennberg and A Gaudette got the assists.

Continuing the climb back in the game, Macklin Celebrini scored with a slap shot at 17:42. Toffoli and Collin Graf got the assists.

Tyler Toffoli tied the game with his second of the game at 18:22. Toffoli’s shot came from close in front of the net and into traffic. Assists went to Wennberg and Celebrini.

John Klingberg scored the OT winner at 2:57 of the extra period. Assists went to Macklin Celebrini and Collin Graf. After the game, Macklin Celebrini was asked about why he passed back instead of shooting. He said: “He gave me a chance like that earlier and I didn’t score so I felt like I had to give it back to him.” Celebrini chuckled.

Neither Kurashev nor Smith returned to the game. There was no update after the game about either player.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday in San Jose against the Calgary Flames at 7:00 PM PT.

San Jose Sharks podcast Mary Lisa: Celebrini looking to continue successive offense against Penguins Saturday

The San Jose Sharks John Klingberg is having some offensive success as he and the Sharks take on the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on Sat Dec 13, 2025 (photo by Bay Area News Group)

San Jose Sharks podcast Mary Lisa:

#1 Can Macklin Celebrini continue his recent hot play against Pittsburgh’s defense?
Celebrini leads the Sharks offensively and was key in recent wins with multi-point efforts.

#2 Which Sharks forward — Will Smith, William Eklund, or Alexander Wennberg — will step up to support the offense in this matchup?
Each has been a consistent contributor this season for San Jose.

#3 How will Sharks goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic handle the Penguins’ attack, especially with Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell potentially playing?
Pittsburgh has activated Rakell from injured reserve.

#4 What impact will San Jose’s defense — including John Klingberg, Dmitry Orlov, and Nick Leddy — have in limiting Pittsburgh’s scoring chances?
Defense depth will be essential against one of the league’s higher-scoring teams.

#5 Will contributions from depth players like Collin Graf, Adam Gaudette, or Ty Dellandrea make a difference in secondary scoring for the Sharks?

Join Mary Lisa for the San Jose Sharks podcast Saturdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Beat Hurricanes 4-1, Celebrini Earns 3 Points

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.

San Jose Sharks podcast Lincoln Juarez: Sharks open five game road trip Friday at Dallas

San Jose Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov (30) was pelted with shots on goal by the Washington Capitals at SAP Center in San Jose on Wed Dec 3, 2025 (AP News photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast Lincoln Juarez:

#1 Can William Eklund continue his upward offensive trajectory and help drive the Sharks’ top line against Dallas’ tight defensive structure?

#2 Will John Klingberg’s veteran presence in the middle remain a stabilizing force as San Jose looks to control the pace early in the matchup?

#3 How effectively can Macklin Celebrini create scoring chances off the rush against a Stars team known for quick neutral-zone transitions?

#4 With increasing responsibility on the blue line, can Mario Ferraro help contain Dallas’ heavy forecheck and limit high-danger chances?

#5 After several strong outings, is goalie Yaroslav Askarov poised to give San Jose another solid performance in a tough road environment?

Join Lincoln Juarez for the San Jose Sharks podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com