Tag: NHL

Mammoth Sweep Season Series Against Jets In 5-3 Victory

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Utah Mammoth teammates celebrate a third period goal by center Nick Schmaltz (8) against the Winnipeg Jets at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Tue Apr 14, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

April 14, 2026

SALT LAKE CITY–Winnipeg Jets fought back from 4-1 in the third to within striking distance, but Kerfoot’s empty netter sealed Utah Mammoth’s 5-3 win, securing the top Western Conference Wild Card berth. The Mammoth (42-32-6) began the final homestand of the 2025-2026 regular season Tuesday night against the visiting Jets (35-33-12).

Ironically, despite the legal technicality of being designated a new franchise when the Arizona Coyotes were sold to Smith Entertainment Group following the 2023-2024 season, the Mammoth DNA nevertheless traces to Winnipeg, whereas the Jets which currently play in the city began their existence in 1999 as the Atlanta Thrashers before becoming the Jets 2.0 beginning with the 2011-2012 season.

Logan Cooley kicked off the Mammoth scoring at 8:05 of the first period with his 24th goal of the campaign on a backhand, assisted by Nate Schmidt. Schmidt was at the top of his defensive faceoff circle when he launched a stretch pass up the middle of the ice where Cooley was positioned at the offensive blue line and drove straight to the net uncontested where he slipped the puck through the five-hole of Jets netminder Eric Comrie to give Utah a 1-0 lead.

16 of Cooley’s goals have come in the first period, fourth-most in the NHL despite having missed 28 games with a lower body injury. Courtesy of the Mammoth stat crew, he is also one of only four active American players to score 20 or more goals in each of his first three NHL seasons, joining an elite club consisting of Patrick Kane, Auston Matthews, and Jack Eichel, and he ranks third with Adam Fantili for most goals of any NHL player 21 or younger. The Mammoth more than doubled up the Jets in shots on goal in the frame, outshooting Winnipeg 14-6.

At 4:13 of the second period, Jets defenseman Dylan DeMelo was whistled for high-sticking against JJ Peterka, giving the hot Utah power play an opportunity to double up on their lead. Prior to the 4-1 road loss to Calgary on Sunday, the Mammoth set a new franchise record with power play goals in eight consecutive games.

31 seconds into Tuesday’s man-advantage, Nick Schmaltz gave Utah a 2-0 lead with his 32nd goal of the season, knocking in a rebound off the pads of Comrie who had stopped a blast by Mikhail Sergachev, with the additional assist by Dylan Guenther.

With under four minutes remaining in the period, Lawson Crouse went to the sin bin for holding against Josh Morrissey, enabling Kyle Connor on the power play to bring the Jets back to within one with his 39th goal, assisted by Gabriel Vilardi and Mark Scheifele. The period ended with the Mammoth leading 2-1. Shots on goal in the period were nearly identical to the first, with Utah putting up 15 and Winnipeg adding another six.

Six minutes into the third, the Mammoth power play was given another shot at extending Utah’s lead when Jonathan Toews was whistled for slashing against Brandon Tanev. Schmaltz, who already tallied a goal on the man advantage in the second period, came through again for his 33rd goal of the season, assisted by Cooley and Clayton Keller.

Keller’s assist gives him points in nine consecutive games, a new franchise record. 40 seconds later JJ Peterka picked up a loose puck near the Winnipeg net and put a wrist shot past Comrie, unassisted, for his 25th goal of the season, padding the Utah lead at 4-1.

In the final eight minutes the Jets made a push to get back in the game, with Scheifele halving the deficit with his 36th of the year, assisted by Kyle Connor and Vilardi. 13 seconds later Winnipeg went on the power play when Michael Carcone went to the box for high-sticking against DeMelo, which Isak Rosen was able to cash in for his sixth of the season, unassisted, suddenly narrowing the gap to 4-3 with 5:37 to play.

The previous two contests between these clubs were each decided by a goal, and this one seemed to trend the same direction, but with Comrie pulled for an extra attacker Alexander Kerfoot scored his seventh of the season into an empty net with 24 seconds remaining to seal the Mammoth season sweep of the Jets. Karel Vejmelka stopped 21 of 24 in the effort while notching his 38th win of the season, second most in the NHL. With one game remaining in the regular season, Utah is still contending to complete the schedule without a single shootout.

In the winning locker room, Nick Schmaltz reflected on the third period. “We had a little adversity there. They made a push, but we stuck with it. A big goal by JJ kind of gave us that extra cushion we needed. We hung on, and we fought to the end. Guys made some big blocks, and Veggie made some big saves at the end.” Of Vejmelka’s performance, Schmaltz added, “Yeah, it’s huge. He’s been good for us all year. You’re gonna need those saves this time of year, and it’s a big momentum shifter for either team. And he did a great job for us.”

JJ Peterka, whose goal was the difference maker in the game, talked about Utah’s pace. “I think you (saw) it today; the way we can play. We all play with speed. I think it’s like day and night, compared to other games we’ve played before. … We’re just trying to play North every time. I think seeing another goal from Cools, that’s the best example. We don’t hold it back there, we just move it up. I think no team can handle us if we play with that pace.”

Head Coach André Tourigny opened his post-game remarks, saying, “I’m really happy about the way we played. When we talk about our identity, we talk about how we want to play, and we talked about that this morning. We talked about the speed we played at, the battle we have, the net-front presence there, and the tempo we have, and I am really happy about that. Obviously, in the third period, we made it tougher than we should have, but it will be good learning for us. All of our guys are pros. We know that. So it is not like we learned something tonight. We knew that, so it just happened. I am glad it happened, though.” Bear continued, “we made it tougher than we should have. But when push came to shove and when it was tight, we played solid. No, we didn’t give much; we were stingy. Even when they had a shift around four minutes, they had the puck in our zone a lot, but nothing other than that. The guys were rock solid.”

The Mammoth (43-32-6) wrap up the 2025-2026 regular season on Thursday at home against the St. Louis Blues. Their opening round playoff schedule remains unknown, but they will open on the road against either the Edmonton Oilers or Vegas Golden Knights.

Sharks Beat Predators 3-2, End Colossal Losing Streak

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Nashville Predators left wing Zachary L’heureux (68) crashes into San Jose Sharks goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (33) as defenseman Luca Cagnoni (42) and defenseman Vincent Desharnais (5) defend during the second period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Monday, April 13, 2026.ANDREW NELLES / THE TENNESSEAN

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks won 3-2, defeating the Nashville Predators on Monday. The win was the Sharks’ first against the Predators after losing 15 in a row over seven years. Igor Chernyshov and Macklin Celebrini scored for the Sharks. Alex Nedeljkovic made 25 saves for the win. Luke Evangelista scored both Nashville goals and Justus Annunen made 20 saves in the loss.

“We played pretty good tonight from start to finish. We were solid, we were on our toes and I thought we just played a pretty all-around complete game tonight,” said Sharks goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic.

“I thought we played extremely hard tonight, we tracked pucks, we were more engaged all over the ice. So, I’m proud of the group,” said Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky.

In a penalty-free first period, the Sharks outshot the Predators 11-6. Igor Chernyshov scored the first goal of the game at 9:53 of the second period. The goal came on the power play, a shot from just above the faceoff dot. William Eklund set him up with the pass and Michael Misa got an assist as well.

The second period saw the Predators outshoot the Sharks 9-5. The only penalty went against Steven Stamkos and Nashville.

Macklin Celebrini made it 2-0 at 3:04 of the third period. After an icing call and a draw in the Predators’ Sharks got the puck in the neutral zone and rushed back in. Assists went to Chernyshov and Will Smith.

Nashville scored their first of the game at 15:39. Luke Evangelista skated into the zone with the puck and took his shot from the edge of the faceoff circle. Assists went to Nick Perbix and Ryan Ufko.

Celebrini scored his second of the game at into an empty net. Skating into the zone three-on-one with Collin Graf and Alexander Wennberg, Celebrini took the shot from high in the slot. Assists went to Graf and Wennberg.

Evangelista scored his second at 18:50, deflecting a shot from Ufko. An assist also went to Roman Josi.

The Sharks next play on Wednesday at 5:30 PM PT in Chicago against the Blackhawks.

Canucks take it to the limit in six shootout rounds 4-3 over the Sharks; Playoff hopes shrink

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Igor Chernyshov celies his first goal vs Canucks on April 11, 2026 at SAP Center (Sharks Media, Getty Images)

By Fernando Abarca

SAN JOSE, Calif–The San Jose Sharks continued their push in the Western Conference wild-card race Saturday night, hosting the Vancouver Canucks in their final home game of the season. Although mathematically the Sharks playoff contention is almost gone with a 4-3 loss in the six round shootout, San Jose looked to extend its momentum and deliver one last memorable performance for the home crowd on Fan Appreciation Night at the SAP Center.

The Sharks struck first midway through the opening period. Off a faceoff in the offensive zone, Macklin Celebrini helped generate possession before Igor Nyzhnyshov capitalized, slipping past the Canucks’ defense and beating the goaltender to give San Jose a 1-0 lead at 8:00 of the first.

The score remained unchanged through the rest of the period, with both teams trading chances but unable to break through. Vancouver found its equalizer in the second period thanks to a costly mistake. Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov mishandled a puck cleared from Vancouver’s defensive zone, leaving the net exposed and the defense scrambling. Marco Rossi took advantage of the miscue, scoring into the open net to tie the game 1-1.

San Jose responded quickly. Tyler Toffoli finished off a well-executed offensive sequence, with assists from Sam Dickinson and Michael Misa, restoring the Sharks’ lead at 2-1 midway through the second period.

Vancouver answered late in the frame on a power play. Filip Hronek unleashed a heavy slap shot that Askarov initially stopped, but the puck slipped through his grasp and landed in front of the crease, where Jake DeBrusk buried the rebound to even the score at 2-2.

Sharks answered again, and Celebrini recorded another point with an assist, and Igor Chernyshov scored another goal, to take the lead again. Vancouver wanted to make this game more complicated with another power-play goal just a second before the Sharks came back to full strength, and Canuck’s Teddy Blueger in front of the net scored the third of the night, taking this game to OT.

In OT, the Sharks took it to the limit in a fifth round of penalty shootout, but the Sharks were unable to seal the deal at home and ultimately, the Canucks took the win in the last game at home.

Despite this loss, the Sharks have not been officially eliminated from playoff contention. Mathematically, the Sharks still have a chance. However, their faith does not lie solely in the men in teal. With this 4-3 score, the team closed out their home schedule, rewarding their supporters with a hard-fought win and a glimpse of the team’s developing core heading into the future.

Now, the Sharks go on the road to close out the season vs. Nashville, Chicago, and Winnipeg.

Utah Mammoth game wrap: Hurricanes Blow Through Utah In 4-1 Win

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Mammoth forward Dylan Guenther lit the lamp for the 40th time this season, but the wind was at Carolina’s back in final contest against an Eastern Conference foe. (AP News photo)

by Tom Walker April 11, 2026

SALT LAKE CITY–The playoff bound Utah Mammoth (42-30-6) and Eastern Conference leading Carolina Hurricanes (51-22-6) squared off Saturday afternoon for a matinee matchup which gave Utah an opportunity to test their post-season readiness against an elite opponent. Unfortunately the Mammoth didn’t past the test with the Hurricane bowing to them in a three goal deficit 4-1 at the Delta Center.

Carolina enjoyed an early scoring opportunity when Mikhail Sergachev was whistled for holding against Seth Jarvis just 3:27 into the contest. Hurricane forward Andrei Svechnikov cashed it in a minute later on a backhand past Karel Vejmelka for his 31st goal of the season, assisted by Nikolaj Ehlers and Shayne Gostisbehere.

At 13:23, Jordan Staal made it 2-0 on a wrist shot for his 20th of the season, assisted by Ehlers and Jordan Martinook. Utah Captain Clayton Keller appeared to get one back for the Mammoth late in the frame, but the goal was nullified due to off sides. Frederik Andersen stopped all seven shot attempts in the period by Utah, while Vejmelka turned away 11 of 13.

The second period was extremely uneventful, unless defense is one’s favorite facet of the game, with neither squad able to muster much on offense. The respective netminders each shut out the other side, with Andersen blanking the Mammoth in seven attempts and Vejmelka stopping five.

Sebastian Aho opened the door for a Utah comeback early in the third, going to the sin bin two minutes into the frame for high sticking against Nate Schmidt. Dylan Guenther didn’t disappoint, netting his 40th goal of the season on a slap shot, assisted by Keller and Sergachev, to bring the Mammoth to within one.

Guenther is the first Mammoth player to reach the 40 goal mark, the 12th NHL player to do so this season, and it is the first time in his career that he has done so. On the power play goal, Utah established a new franchise record with power play goals in eight straight games.

Perhaps the loudest fan reaction of the evening came at 14:48 of the third, when rookie 6’4″ defenseman Dmitri Simashev dropped the gloves for the first time in his NHL career, tangling with Charles Alexis Legault. The Mammoth kept the game remarkably close despite the seeming mismatch on the ice for most of the game, but at 15:31 Aho tipped in the puck for his 27th of the year, assisted by Shayne Gostisbehere and Jaccob Slavin, to put the game virtually out of reach.

With Vejmelka pulled for the extra attacker, Utah continued to keep pressure on the Canes in the offensive zone but couldn’t solve Anderson in the Carolina net. With 23 seconds remaining in regulation, Sean Walker scored his ninth of the season into an empty net to send fans to the exits.

With the regulation loss, the Mammoth maintain their streak of being the only team in the NHL which has not participated in a shootout this season.

Defenseman Sean Durzi, who skated in his 300th career contest on Saturday, spoke to the media in the locker room about his team’s slow start. “I mean, that’s the Carolina Hurricanes. That’s what you’re getting with that team. We know that you have to be patient. Not much, not many plays there to be made, and I thought that’s what you saw. I think they always come out pretty hard, and we knew that, we knew what to expect. I thought we found our game in the second and then, yeah, that hockey game. It’s a couple bounces the other way, and pucks go in the net. But listen, that’s the Hurricanes. We’ve got to stay patient, and that’s the way the hockey game went.” Many of the post-game questions centered around being a test for the playoffs, and the importance of patience. “We say it all the time. Patience is so important in these games,” said Durzi. “Especially a team like us, a young, skilled, fast team. We want to make plays, and there are plays to be made, but at the same time, we can’t force it. Not to say that we did, and that we were trying to force plays. But again, that’s hockey where we stay patient, we stay on them, we put pucks in, and then let our skill take over from there. And you know what? That’s a good test for us today. And again, that’s a lot of what’s to come.” On Guenther’s 40th goal, Durzi added, “First off, as a guy, he’s unbelievable. I mean, we can talk about him forever, just you know how much he means to this team, as a person, and the energy he brings, the competitiveness, the fire, all that stuff. But as a hockey player, he’s special. I remember the first time that I met him, you see his release. And then if you compare it to now, it gets better every day. So he’s an awesome guy, awesome player. Couldn’t be more happy for him. I think a lot of the guys wanted him to hit that milestone, even though they wouldn’t say it. But we’re all rooting for him, trying to find him out there, and for him to get 40, it’s only a little bit of a teaser of what’s to come. He’s a great hockey player and a great person, couldn’t be happier.”

“Yeah, I mean, it feels good, definitely something that I was eyeing down the stretch, said Guenther of his milestone. “So really great play by those guys again [Keller & Sergachev], and it’s definitely nice to have.” Asked about what Utah learned in the game, Guenther said, “Yeah, I think just being ready, and I think we didn’t necessarily do all the right things right tonight. But when we do the right things, we’re one of the best teams in the league. And I thought that we outplayed them for bits and parts of the second. If we do that, I think we’ll be in a good spot.”

Utah Mammoth Head Coach André Tourigny was asked if having a 40-goal scorer gives his teammates more confidence. “I don’t know if the number is something that effects our confidence,” Bear said, “but having Gunner in our lineup, knowing how he can play, how he can shoot, his release, his shooting ability, all of that, that for sure helps our confidence, because you know what he can do. I think he’s a great weapon for us. The growth in his game, it’s clear. I think this year, like I said many times, we wanted him to become the player he is right now. Being able to contribute in different ways, score goals in different ways, contribute in a whole lot of different ways, from checking, to producing offensively, so on and so forth.” On his key takeaways from the game, Tourigny said, “There’s a few things like I said, the start, the intent you need to be able to match the intensity or take the momentum early on is one. There were some moments of frustration at some points where we needed to stay even keeled. I think the guys reacted really well after that was pretty good. They are a pretty tight checking team. I liked the way that we progressed in the game of playing against that style. If there’s space, we have the skill and we can make plays, but when there’s no space, you have to be able to generate different ways. Creating space behind the D and stuff like that. I like the way we generated in the second half of the game. Generate that way, and that was positive. So there’s a few takeaways.”

Utah (43-30-6) hits the road for one final away game on Sunday against the Calgary Flames before finishing out the season at home on Tuesday and Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues.

San Jose Sharks podcast Mary Lisa: Sharks need win against Vancouver and hope for LA Kings loses to get in playoffs

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San Jose Sharks goaltender Alex Nedelijkovic (33) is not too pleased after the puck gets by which was scored by the Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (not pictured) in the second period at SAP Center in San Jose on Wed Apr 8, 2026 (AP News photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast Mary Lisa:

#1 San Jose Sharks need to win the remaining three games on their regular season schedule and against Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night at SAP Center and the Los Angeles Kings needs to loose on Saturday to the Edmonton Oilers and in Seattle on Monday night in order for the Sharks to have a shot at getting in the playoffs.

#2 How will the Sharks perform offensively against the Canucks in this matchup?

#3 Which players on the Sharks who could the biggest impact against the Canucks?

#4 What are the key turning points that will help the Sharks compete against the Canucks?

#5 How will the defense and goaltending of the San Jose Sharks hold up against the Canucks?

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

San Jose Sharks podcast Lincoln Juarez: Sharks should handle last place Canucks at SAP on Saturday night

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San Jose Sharks goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (33) can’t stop the puck against the Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (left with stick) at SAP Center in San Jose Wed Apr 8, 2026

San Jose Sharks podcast Lincoln Juarez:

#1 San Jose Sharks needs to win against Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night at SAP Center and the Los Angeles Kings needs to loose on Saturday to the Edmonton Oilers and in Seattle on Monday night in order to have a shot at getting in the playoffs.

#2 How will the Sharks perform offensively against the Canucks in this matchup?

#3 Which players on the San Jose Sharks who could the biggest impact against the Canucks?

#4 What are the key turning points that will help the Sharks compete against the Canucks?

#5 How will the defense and goaltending of the San Jose Sharks hold up against the Canucks?

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

Utah Mammoth game wrap: Mammoth Defeat Predators 4-1 In Ice Age Season Finale; Clinch Western Conference Wild Card Berth As Ducks Defeat Sharks

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Utah Mammoth head coach Andre Tourigny watches the action behind the bench against the Nashville Predators at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Thu Apr 9, 2026 (AP News photo)

Utah punched its ticket to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history in a convincing win over Nashville, with a little help from Anaheim.

by Tom Walker

April 9, 2026

SALT LAKE CITY–It became official at 10:27pm Mountain Daylight Time.  Following a solid 4-1 victory over the Nashville Predators on Thursday night at Delta Center, the Utah Mammoth stuck around a few extra minutes to celebrate the franchise’s first trip to the post-season as the Ducks eviscerated Macklin Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks 6-1 in Anaheim.  With the victory, the Mammoth take the so-called Ice Age series over the Predators winning 3 of 4 on the season. Utah becomes the third franchise in the past 45 years to make the playoffs in their second season, joining the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken.

Logan Cooley sparked Utah’s opening score late in the first period, stealing the puck in the defensive zone and then passing up the ice where Dylan Guenther and Kailer Yamamoto were crossing the offensive blue line. Guenther laid down a perfect pass to Yamamoto who was charging the net, and then rammed the puck underneath the pads of Nashville netminder Juuse Saros for his 12th goal of the season.  Saros finished the period stopping 8 of 9 Mammoth shots while Utah’s Karel Vejmelka was perfect in stopping all 7 Predators shot attempts.

At 5:16 of the second period, Nashville defenseman Justin Barron was whistled for tripping against Michael Carcone. Nineteen seconds later on the ensuing power play, Mammoth captain Clayton Keller fired the puck across the goal crease to the waiting stick of Nick Schmaltz who knocked it in for his 31st goal of the season, with Cooley picking up his second helper of the night. Utah has scored on the power play in seven consecutive games, matching their franchise record.  The period would end with Utah leading Nashville 2-0.  Saros turned away 5 of 6 in the frame while Vejmelka remained perfect in stopping all 12 attempts by the Predators. Scoreboard watchers paying attention to the game in Anaheim noted that the Ducks finished the first period leading the Sharks 2-0.

Lawson Crouse made it 3-0 three minutes into the third period, one-timing a pass from Clayton Keller from below the faceoff circle dot, for his 22nd goal of the season, with Mikhael Sergachev picking up the additional assist.  The Mammoth, which had scored 25 goals in their previous four games, continued to step on the gas with Dylan Guenther netting his 39th goal at 6:05. Keller picked up his third assist on the night and Schmaltz collected the other for his second point. Sergachev gave Nashville their one real scoring chance at 8:29, going to the sin bin for hooking against Matthew Wood. With just seven seconds remaining in the man-advantage, the Predators ended Vejmelka’s shutout when Erik Haula scored his 4th on the season, assisted by Zachary L’Heureux and Brady Skjei. But that would be all for Nashville as Utah won their fifth game in a row 4-1. The Mammoth have scored at least four goals in a franchise-record six consecutive games, with 33 goals during that span. With his goal and assist, Guenther joins Nick Schmaltz in passing the 70 point mark on the season for the first time in his career with 39 goals and 32 assists. Vejmelka finished the game stopping 29 of 30 shots by the Predators for his 37th win, tying him with Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning for the NHL lead in victories.

In the locker room after the game, Lawson Crouse was asked about how fun it is to play in these meaningful late-season games. “I think we’ve been playing meaningful hockey for a while now,” the Associate Captain said. “So, these are the games we want to be in. These are the games that we want to get up for. So it’s been a lot of fun.” Talking about tonight’s game, Crouse continued, “We started the game pretty well, and then obviously, let it kind of get away from us a little bit in the second period. A huge answer back in the third, and we got rewarded for doing so. Veggie played an incredible game. He made some very timely saves, some big saves. Obviously, a pretty crappy bounce on that power-play goal coming back through his legs. He gave us a true chance to win right from the drop of the puck.” Asked about linemate Keller’s three primary assists in the game, Crouse said, “Are you surprised? No, he’s an incredible playmaker. He’s got incredible vision, incredible skill, and most importantly, passion for the game. Put all three of those together, and that’s our captain.”

Keller responded to a question about how proud he is of his teammates, saying, “I think it’s a step in the right direction. We’ve been playing some good hockey lately, very confident. A couple of lapses there in the second, but we fought back. Had a great third. Veg was unreal all game. Made some timely saves and kept us in the fight there in the second. So, just a great effort by everyone.” Asked about the pride he takes in being a playmaker and setting his teammates up, Keller said, “Yeah. I think I’ve always tried to be a very unselfish player. I like setting my teammates up, and I like to score also, but I think it just goes back to how I was coached when I was young. We were always the most unselfish team. We were always told by Jeff Brown and Keith Tkachuk, we want to be on SportsCenter. We always kind of made that extra pass. Sometimes it can bite you a little bit. I think you have to have that shot-first mentality. Yeah, it’s part of my game. I want to get my teammates involved and give them good looks.” On his teammates stepping things up during the playoff run, Keller added, “I think everyone’s been great. Everyone’s chipped in. We’re playing for one another. It’s the most fun time of the year. It’s fun to come to the rink when you’re winning, especially. Every guy that steps in when guys have gone down, Desi and Tuna, and everyone who’s chipped in has made a huge impact. I think that’s how deep of a team we are. We trust one another and believe in one another.”

Head Coach André Tourigny began his post-game media availability, “Our first period was a little bit slow but played well against their forecheck. Obviously in the second period, we didn’t move our feet as much, so we allowed them to forecheck a little bit better. We were a bit too careful and a bit too passive, but we got back in the third with way more aggression, moving our feet, better breakouts, and building more speed and scoring big goals at key moments. So very happy and very proud of the boys and the way they reacted in the third.” Speaking of Keller’s performance, Bear said, “I will say this about Clayton, he’s really tuned in and playing rock solid. He’s making the right decisions with the puck and his ability has always been there to make those plays. But the way he led in the third and moving his feet on the breakout, having great track, putting pucks behind defense, getting on the forecheck. That’s what you want from your leader.” On the team’s improvement in their second season in Utah, Tourigny added, “Well, I think we have a very good team. The guys are getting older, more mature, and they learn from what happens. The GM does a great job to improve the team every year. It’s easy now to look back and see we started from scratch. It’s a privilege when you start the process where you start. It’s not every time you have that much runway, so I feel fortunate and try to keep improving every year for the next.”

Utah (42-30-6) wraps up the three-game homestand with a Saturday matinee against the Metropolitan Division leading Carolina Hurricanes (51-22-6), and will then head out for their final road game of the season in Calgary before wrapping the the regular season home schedule against Winnipeg and St. Louis.

Sharks Lose 6-1 to Ducks, John Carlson Scores First Hat Trick

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Anaheim Ducks defenseman John Carlson is fired up after scoring a hat trick in the third period against the San Jose Sharks at the Honda Center in Anaheim on Thu Mar 9, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 6-1 to the Anaheim Ducks Thursday. Ducks defenseman John Carlson scored his first NHL hat trick in over 1100 games. Leo Carlsson, Alex Killorn and Frank Vatrano scored as well. Lukas Dostal made 18 saves for the win. Shakir Mukhamadullin scored the Sharks goal. Yaroslav Askarov made 24 saves in the loss.

After the game, Sharks forward Kiefer Sherwood said: “I think we gotta look inwards here a little bit, you know. We’re changing a standard. It’s not okay to lose, it’s not okay to lose battles and lose pks and just shifts on end. We gotta change things. Yeah, just not good enough tonight.”

Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky said:

“We really complicate the game, I would say. With some execution, with some… the way you have to play the game this time of year especially, we make it difficult on ourselves. We really beat ourselves. That’s no disrespect to the Anaheim Ducks, they completely outplayed us tonight but we make it really easy for teams to platy against us.”

Leo Carlsson scored the first goal of the game at 2:59. He caught the puck in the defensive zone and carried it all the way down to the Sharks net before taking the shot. Assists went to Chris Kreider and Pavel Mintyukov.

John Carlson scored with a slap shot from just inside the blue line. Assists went to Mikael Grandlund and Mintyukov.

The Ducks outshot the Sharks 10-5 in the first period with no penalties called against either team.

Alex Killorn scored at 5:15 of the second period, the only goal of the middle frame. Killorn and Beckett Sennecke skated into the zone two on one against Nick Leddy. Sennecke made the pass at the last moment for Killorn to tap in.

The shot gap was the same in the second period as the first, with Anaheim outshooting San Jose 9-4. Again, there were no penalties called.

John Carlson scored his second of the game on a power play at 10:31 of the third. He took the slap shot from high in the slot. Assists went to Troy Terry and Sennecke.

Shakir Mukhamadullin scored the lone Sharks goal at 12:40 of the period. He caught a pass high in the slot as he trailed the play into the zone. He didn’t hold on to it and snapped it into the net. Tyler Toffoli got the assist.

John Carlsson scored his third of the game at 14:03 with another power play goal. It was another slap shot, this one from high in the faceoff circle. Assists went to Terry and Granlund.

Frank Vatrano scored at 17:32 with a backhander from right in front of the net. The assist went to Mason McTavish.

The Sharks finally matched the Ducks in shot in the third period, with 10 to the Ducks’ 11. The Sharks took four penalties to the Ducks’ one, which resulted in two Ducks power plays, one of those a five-on-three.

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

NHL podcast Len Shapiro: Oilers McDavid’s 5 point hat trick; How did loosing Luke Hughes impact New Jersey; plus more news

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Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center Wed Apr 8, 2026 (AP News photo)

NHL podcast Len Shapiro:

#1 How did Connor McDavid’s five-point hat trick impact the Edmonton Oilers’ push for the Pacific Division lead?

#2 What does Luke Hughes being shut down for the season mean for the New Jersey Devils’ future plans?

#3 Why is Ilya Protas’ NHL debut with the Washington Capitals being called “unbelievable,” and what does it signal for their young core?

#4 What are the key playoff implications across the NHL as teams battle for clinching scenarios on April 9?

#5 The Oilers with a victory over the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night that puts the Oilers in the number seed in the Pacific. Vegas Golden Knights would play the Ducks if the season were to end today. Utah won and their in the playoffs and their wild card one beating the Nashville Predators. That pushed Nashville outside the playoffs. The LA Kings are still in wild card two.

Join Len Shapiro for the NHL podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks’ Playoff Hopes Stumble as McDavid Powers Oilers to 5-2 Win

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Macklin Celebrini #71 of the San Jose Sharks between plays in the first period against the Edmonton Oilers at SAP Center on April 8, 2026 in San Jose, California. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Kavin Mistry/NHLI via Getty Images)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SAN JOSE — On Wednesday night, the San Jose Sharks faithful filed into the stands in anticipation of the team’s matchup against the Edmonton Oilers. There was an air of optimistic anxiety in the building as the Sharks entered the game three points back of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference with just six games to go in the season.

The Sharks, after all, are ahead of schedule. Regardless of whether San Jose makes or misses out on the playoffs, the season has to be seen as a success by the fans, ownership, and management. Yet, Sharks fans are desperate for another shot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Sharks have not seen the playoffs since the 2018-19 season, when they lost to the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference Final, which led to the full rebuild of the club.

The anxiety in the Tank quickly turned to angst as the Oilers defeated the Sharks 5-2 behind a Connor McDavid two-assist, three-goal game to lead Edmonton.

In the first period, the Sharks got off to a quick start as Macklin Celebrini found the back of the net on a wrister from Dmitry Orlov and Will Smith. It was Celebrini’s 42nd goal of the season. The goal came on a power play after the Oilers were hit with too many men on the ice. After the Sharks took the early lead, Edmonton answered right back with a goal of their own, scored by Connor McDavid and assisted by Evan Bouchard and Vasily Podkolzin. It was an effective answer from the Oilers as they gained the momentum right back after the Sharks seized it. However, Edmonton wasn’t done yet in the first period. The Oilers scored a second goal, by Vasily Podkolzin, from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid.

Trailing 2-1 heading into the second period, the Sharks failed to reclaim the momentum. However, the Oilers came out in the second period and scored a quick goal at the 16:27 mark of the period. Jack Roslovic found the back of the net on a nice backhand shot from Connor McDavid to give the Oilers a 3-1 advantage. It was Roslovic’s 21st goal of the season and Connor McDavid’s third point of the game at that point. The Sharks answered right back as Kiefer Sherwood tipped in an Alex Wennberg shot for the goal. It was Sherwood’s 23rd goal of the season and sixth goal for the Sharks as Wennberg and William Eklund were credited with the assists.

From that point on, it was all bad news for the Sharks.

Connor McDavid took over the game for the rest of the second period, scoring two more goals to pull the Oilers ahead by three heading into the second intermission. McDavid’s third goal of the game came on a wrister at the 16:07 mark of the period that was assisted by Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm. McDavid’s final goal of the game came at the 6:47 mark of the second period on another wrist shot. It was good for a McDavid hat trick and his 47th goal of the season. McDavid’s goal was assisted by Jack Roslovic, which was his second point of the game.

In the third period, nothing happened for either team. The Sharks looked dejected and gassed, and the Oilers seemed to keep the Sharks out of their zone well in the final frame. The Sharks had only four shots on goal the entire third period and ultimately fell to the Oilers 5-2 at home.

The Sharks were led in defeat by Macklin Celebrini and Kiefer Sherwood, who each scored goals in the game.

For Edmonton, it was a legacy-type performance from their best player, Connor McDavid. McDavid finished the game with five points on three goals and two assists. Other notable performances came from Vasily Podkolzin and Jack Roslovic, who each finished the game with two points of their own, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins added a point.

When it was all said and done, the Sharks trailed the Oilers in shots on goal 14-26 as Edmonton nearly doubled the Sharks’ chances on net.

With the loss, the Sharks fell to 37-33-7 and sit with 81 points, which is three points behind the Nashville Predators (84) for the second wild-card spot.

The Sharks will travel to Anaheim on Wednesday evening to take on the Ducks at 7 p.m. PST on Thursday at Honda Center.