Kraken spoil Sharks’ homestand effort 4-2 with late surge

Sharks players celebrate after scoring the 1-0 at SAP Center on Dec 20 (AP Photo)

By: Fernando Abarca and Madison Montez

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Sharks (17-16-3) entered the matchup as the stronger team on paper, but the Seattle Kraken (13-14-6) exceeded expectations, closing out the Sharks’ three-game homestand with a victory over their division rival.

1ST PERIOD

The opening period was tightly contested, with both teams trading chances and keeping play balanced through the neutral zone. Each side generated opportunities, but strong defensive structure and steady goaltending kept the game scoreless after 20 minutes. Shots were even, and neither team was able to establish sustained momentum.

2ND PERIOD

The Sharks started off the period with more aggressiveness, more puck battles in the Kraken’s defensive zone. Macklin Celebrini showed sparks of good playmaking, creating chances to score. Seattle’s defense showed what it can do. Kraken struck first, it needed a little coverage and wide open space as Eeli Tolvannen with a wrist shot made it 1-0 with 13.09 remanining in the period.

As expected after the first, the Sharks maintained their rhythm and momentum. At 08:38 in the second, the relief came momentarily for the Teal as Adam Gaudette tied things up, making it 1-1.

Both teams remained very close in shots on goal, and both teams were strong in the goal-tending, but the Sharks intended to push more.

3RD PERIOD

The Teal came out with energy to set the tone again, a mistake by Vince Dunn behind the net in the Kraken side, and a deflected puck, Collin Graf made it 2-1 near the Kraken net. This was going to add fuel for the visitors to find strength and try to make a comeback, as the Kraken scored a minute later. Ryan Evans with a wrist shot tied the game up

Then, another chance for the Kraken to be up in the scoresheet, Ryan Lindgren scores on a wrist shot with 15:35 remaining in the 3rd period to put the visitors up by one.

With a minute left remaining, an empty-netter for the Seattle Kraken by Chandler Stephenson made the the score 4-2 to seal the game.

With this result, the Sharks concluded their homestand with one win over Calgary on Tuesday and back-to-back losses.

Sharks’ action continues on Dec 23 vs. Vegas Golden Knights.

San Jose Sharks podcast Mary Lisa: Celebrini on an offensive roll can he keep it up against Seattle?

San Jose Sharks defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin (85) is called for a penalty against the Dallas Stars center Colin Blackwell (15) in the second period at SAP Center in San Jose on Thu Dec 18, 2025 (AP News photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast Mary Lisa:

#1 Can San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini continue his offensive surge against Seattle’s defense?

#2 Will William Eklund’s playmaking ability be a key factor in the Sharks breaking the Kraken’s defensive structure?

#3 How will goaltending between Yaroslav Askarov and the Kraken’s netminder influence the outcome?

#4 Can Tyler Toffoli provide timely scoring and veteran leadership for the Sharks in this divisional battle?

#5 What role will Alexander Wennberg and Collin Graf play in generating secondary scoring and maintaining puck possession? Depth contributions from players like Wennberg and Graf could be pivotal in a close game.

Join Mary Lisa for the San Jose Sharks podcasts each Saturday 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

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

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

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

Celebrini ignites Sharks’ third-period breakout in 6-3 win

Sharks players huddle up after scoring the first goal vs. Calgary on Dec 16, 2025, at SAP Center in San Jose, CA (Sharks Media)

By: Fernando Abarca

SAN JOSE, CA– Another Hockey night in the Bay Area after a long stretch of games on the road, the Sharks are finally back, hosting the Calgary Flames.

It has been a ride for both teams so far during the last couple of days. The Teal won in overtime after an impressive comeback at Pittsburgh in overtime with a 6-5 score. Calgary, one of the worst teams in the NHL this season, has found some momentum, winning four of the last five. On Saturday night, the Flames took the win against the Kings.

FIRST PERIOD

From the outset, it was a hockey game nobody expected. The Sharks and the Flames delivered a show of back-and-forth hockey. The Sharks struck first as John Klingberg netted the first one with an assist from Macklin Celebrini. Barclay Goodrow put the second up for the Sharks, making it 2-0 close to the final minutes of the first period. Calgary did not back down and responded quickly, with Blake Coleman and Ryan Lomberg netting one each for the visitors to make it an even game. Once again, Barclay Goodrow made his double to seal the period with the lead in the first.

SECOND PERIOD

In the second, the Sharks had to continue on the mission to dominate. At the start of the 2nd, a penalty against Sharks’ defenseman, Timothy Liljegren, in the penalty kill, the Sharks responded accordingly. The game turned very physical for both sides. Both teams came even in shots on goal, 16 for the Sharks and 17 for the Flames. in the 2nd, the score remained the same, up by 1 for the Sharks.

THIRD PERIOD

San Jose extended its lead early in the third when Celebrini finished a deflected score to make it 4-2. Tyler Toffoli added a goal later in the period to push the lead to 5-2. Calgary got one back from Nazem Kadri, but another Sharks tally sealed the 6-3 final.

San Jose outshot Calgary 26-30 and won the faceoff battle while continuing to refine its balanced attack. Calgary was unable to convert on its power-play opportunities and surrendered.

STANDINGS IMPACT: The Sharks improved to 17-14-3 and will look to build on the wins as they continue their homestand with a winning streak and look to improve in the highly contested Pacific division. Next game is at home vs. the Dallas Stars. Calgary dropped to 13-17-4 and will try to rebound in its next game in the Emerald City vs. the Seattle Kraken.

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 Bounce Back to Beat Maple Leafs 3-2 in OT

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

By Mary Walsh

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

San Jose Sharks podcast Len Shapiro: Sharks take on Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena Thursday

San Jose Sharks Macklin Celebrini (71) scores a goal against the Winnipeg Jets on Fri Nov 7, 2025 at SAP Center in San Jose. Celebrini and the Sharks take on the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thu Dec 11, 2025 (AP News photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast Len Shapiro:

#1 The San Jose Sharks took a tough loss on Tuesday night against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia getting beat by three goals 4-1.

#2 The Flyers Travis Konecny scored his 500th point of the season and Flyer goaltender Dan Vladar stopped 17 shots and allowed only one goal.

#3 The Sharks Collin Graf scored the first goal of the game when he drove it past the cross slot from a John Klingberg pass at 11:33.

#4 Sharks starting goaltender Yaroslav Askarov was out with an illness and the Sharks started Alex Nedelijkovic who stopped 26 shots but allowed four goals. The Sharks signed 39 year old geologist Justin Kowalkoski as an emergency back up who hadn’t played hockey since his college days 17 years ago at Colgate to a one game amateur contract.

#5 Up next for the Sharks the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night at 4pm PT. The Leafs have won four of their last five games and are 14-11-4. The Leafs are fifth in the Eastern Conference. The Sharks have lost three of their last four games as they visit the Leafs at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

Join Len Shapiro for the San Jose Sharks podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com