Tag: Tyler Toffoli

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

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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.

Sharks Stun Kraken, Win 6-1

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Seattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord (35) allows a San Jose Sharks center Ty Dellandrea (10) goal and is congratulated by teammate right wing Colin Graf (right) at Climate Pledge Arena on Wed Nov 5, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks won 6-1 Wednesday, handing the Seattle Kraken their worst loss of the young season. Macklin Celebrini, Ethan Cardwell, John Klingberg, Will Smith, Ty Dellandrea and Tyler Toffoli scored for the Sharks. Yaroslav Askarov made 28 saves for the win. Ryan Winterton scored for the Kraken, scoring his first in the NHL. Joey Daccord made 15 saves on 20 shots before ceding the net to Matt Murray, who made three saves in relief.

After the game, Macklin Celebrini talked about how the team is being more successful on offense: “We just have great chemistry throughout the lineup. I think guys are gelling really well together, up and down our lineup. We’re getting scoring from everyone.”

Ty Dellandrea talked about the penalty kill, saying that “It’s like anything, confidence-wise with a team or a player, power play or penalty kill. I think we’re trusting each other more, I think we’re a little more detailed.”

Macklin Celebrini opened the scoring just 1:08 into the game. He caught Tyler Toffoli’s centering pass for a wrist shot past Dacorrd on the stick side. Assists went to Toffoli and John Klingberg.

Ryan Winterton tied the game for Seattle with a wrist shot through traffic. Assists went to Ryan Lindgren and Shane Wright.

Ethan Cardwell scored to give the Sharks a 2-1 lead. Cardwell caught a cross-ice pass from Alexander Wennberg and used a snap shot to get by Daccord. Assists went to Wennberg and Jeff Skinner.

The Kraken outshot the Sharks 10-6 in the first period. The Sharks took the only penalty in the first period. Their penalty kill allowed just one shot.

John Klingberg made it a two goal lead with a slap shot on the power play at 11:21 of the second period. Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini got the assists.

The Sharks outshot the Kraken 11-5 in the second period. Each team took two penalties. The Sharks power play had four shots. The Sharks penalty kill allowed no shots.

Will Smith padded the Sharks lead at 1:02 of the third period. He took his shot from the top of the right faceoff circle. It went through two skaters in front of Daccord. Assists went to Mario Ferraro and Celebrini.

Ty Dellandrea scored a short-handed goal at 3:24, following Collin Graf to the net. Graf carried the puck in and took a shot but Daccord stopped it. Graf gathered it back up below the goal line and sent it back to Dellandrea for the snap shot.

The Kraken changed goaltenders after that goal, putting Matt Murray in the net.

Tyler Toffoli came out of the box just 30 seconds later and broke away to score the Sharks’ sixth of the night. An assist went to Shakir Mukhamadullin.

The Kraken outshot the Sharks 14-7 in the third period. The Sharks had to kill three penalties in the third and had just one power play.

The Sharks next play on Friday at 7:00 PM PT in San Jose against the Winnipeg Jets.

San Jose Sharks podcast Fernando Abarca: Sharks looking for Celebrini and Eklund to lead the charge

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San Jose Sharks William Eklund seen here firing the puck against the Minnesota Wild goaltender Jesper Wallstedt (left) and Wild center Marco Rossi (23) in the second period at the Target Center on Sun Oct 26, 2025. Eklund is expected to a have a big offensive season. (AP News photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast Fernando Abarca:

#1 How has rookie forward Macklin Celebrini performed in the early part of the 2025-26 season, and what milestone did he achieve in his recent stretch?

#2 What were the career-high numbers put up by forward William Eklund in the 2024-25 season, and how did the team respond contract-wise?

#3 Veteran winger Tyler Toffoli had a recent slump. What broke that slump and how have his contributions looked in his role so far this season?

#4 Former San Jose Shark Defenseman Erik Karlsson was mentioned as having a tougher time in recent deployment. What metric was used to highlight his struggles?

#5 Which Sharks rookie forward besides Celebrini showed strong multi-point streaks and shot totals recently, and how is his development characterised?

Fernando Abarca is a San Jose Sharks beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Beat Wild 6-5 with Celebrini OT goal in Minnesota

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San Jose Sharks right wing Ryan Reaves (75) scores a goal in the second period and is congratulated by teammates center Ty Dellandrea (10) and defenseman Vincent Desharnais (5) against the Minnesota Wild at the Target Center in St Paul on Sun Oct 26, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks defeated the Minnesota Wild 6-5 in overtime on Sunday. William Eklund, Michael Misa, Ryan Reaves, Tyler Toffoli and Macklin Celebrini scored for the Sharks. Yaroslav Askarov made 28 saves for the win. Marcus Johansson, Marco Rossi, Ryan Hartman and Zeev Buium scored for the Wild. Jesper Wallstedt made 19 saves in the loss.

The Sharks’ young stars shined in this win. William Eklund scored twice, Michael Misa scored his first NHL goal and Macklin Celebrini scored a stunning game-winner. Despite that, the Sharks once again had trouble holding a lead, starting the third period with a 4-2 lead and ending up tied 5-5.

After the game, Tyler Toffoli spoke to that, saying that the team “gave up too many opportunities, kind of backed off, let them forecheck and do what they wanted to do. So obviously that’s something we’ve got to figure out.”

Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky said: “We did some good things. We’re growing, learning lessons as we go here. That’s probably the biggest thing we take from tonight.”

William Eklund gave the Sharks a lead with his third goal of the season on the power play at 5:28. Lurking next to the net, Eklund waited for a pass from Macklin Celebrini, then swept the puck around Wallstedt. Assists went to Celebrini and Dmitry Orlov.

Michael Misa scored his first NHL goal at 13:35. Timothy Liljegren took a shot at the left side of the net but it slid across to the other side. Misa was there to nudge it over the line.

The Wild scored at 17:02, a power play goal from Marcus Johansson. Johansson was next to the right hand post when M Rossi’s shot came through the blue paint in front of Askarov. The puck went off of Johansson’s leg into the net. Assists went to Rossi and Brock Faber.

Marco Rossi made it a tie game 32 seconds later. An interception in the neutral zone created a two-on-one for the Wild. Kirill Kaprizov carried the puck in, then passed to Rossi for the shot.

At the end of the period, the shots were 10-8 Sharks. The Sharks took two penalties and the Wild took one.

William Eklund gave the Sharks the lead again at 11:15 of the second period. Philipp Kurashev caught the puck as it came out of a board battle, the passed it back down to Eklund in front of the net for a tap in.

Ryan Reaves made it 4-2 with a goal 19 seconds later, redirecting Barclay Goodrow’s shot from the boards. Goodrow and Ty Dellandrea got the assists.

In the second period, the shots were 9-6 Sharks. Only one penalty was called in the second period, and it went against the Sharks.

The Wild got one back at 4:28 of the third period. Ryan Hartman scored with a wrist shot on the power play. Assists went to Kaprizov and Faber.

Tyler Toffoli restored the two goal lead with a power play goal at 7:52. Celebrini and Eklund tried the same play they scored with before but that did not work. When Celebrini got the puck back, he skated to the net and made a backhand pass to Toffoli. Toffoli’s quick shot went in. Assists went to Celebrini and Eklund.

Zeev Buium made it 5-4 at 8:28 with a wrist shot from the blue line. Assists went to Hartman and Yakov Trenin.

Dmitry Orlov collided with Ryan Hartman at 15:03 and, after a conference, the officials called it a major penalty. The NHL reviewed the call and deemed it no penalty at all.

The Wild tied the game again at 17:42. Joel Eriksson Ek tipped Kaprizov’s shot to make it 5-5. Assists went to Kaprizov and Faber.

Minnesota outshot the Sharks 17-5 in the third period. Each team took one penalty.

The overtime period looked bad for the Sharks. The Sharks were trapped and tired in their zone when William Eklund risked a change to get Celebrini on the ice. Celebrini chased down the puck and skated in all alone to score the game winner.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday back in San Jose against the Los Angeles Kings at 8:00 PM PT.

Sharks Fall 7-6 to Ducks in OT

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The Anaheim Ducks Chris Kreider (20) scores on the San Jose Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov (30) in the third period at SAP Arena on Sat Oct 11, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 7-6 in overtime to the Anaheim Ducks Saturday. Cutter Gauthier, Beckett Sennecke, Alex Killorn, Chris Kreider, and Leo Carlsson scored for Anaheim. Petr Mrazek made 17 saves for the win.

Tyler Toffoli, Ryan Reaves, Mario Ferraro, John Klingberg, Adam Gaudette and Jeff Skinner scored for San Jose. Yaroslav Askarov made 36 saves in the loss. San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini finished the game with three assists.

This was the second overtime loss in a row, the second game that the Sharks lost after holding a lead in the third period. After the game, the Sharks’ Celebrini talked about the team’s difficulty playing with the lead: “We want it so bad that maybe we’re over-thinking, maybe we just kind of panic sometimes. I don’t know, it’s frustrating when you’re that close.”

Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky said: “We need some poise. We’re chucking pucks around in the defensive zone, on break-outs, out of d-zone structure, just chucking it around. They were all over us.”

The Sharks took the lead early and often. At 3:40, Tyler Toffoli scored the first goal of the game, skating into the zone during a delayed penalty to catch a pass from Will Smith on the blue line. Celebrini got the secondary assist.

Ryan Reaves made it 2-0 at 11:12. Reaves carried the puck into the zone and along the boards. He looked like he was going behind the net but instead he found a gap between the goalie and the post and he put the puck there. Assists went to Adam Gaudette and Nick Leddy.

Cutter Gauthier cut the lead in half less than a minute later. A pass that missed its mark carried on into the zone where Gauthier caught up with it and shot it around Klingberg and past Askarov. Assists went to Mason McTavish amd Radko Gudas.

Beckett Sennecke tied the game on the power play at 15:14. Sennecke caught the rebound off McTavish’s shot and put it in with a wrist shot. An assist also went to Olen Zellweger.

At the end of the first, the shots were 14-7 Anaheim. The Ducks had two power plays and the Sharks had none.

Mario Ferraro broke the tie at 5:41 of the second period. Mrazek kicked out a rebound after a Will Smith shot and Ferraro sent it back in with a wrist shot. Assists went to Smith and Celebrini.

Less than a minute later, Alex Killorn tied it back up with a goal on a breakaway. An assist went to Mikael Granlund.

At 10:34, Klingberg scored a power play goal to make it 4-3. Celebrini and Smith got the assists.

Gaudette scored another power play goal at 17:14 to give the Sharks a two-goal lead. Alexander Wennberg and Dmitri Orlov got the assists.

Chris Kreider scored on the power play to trim the Sharks lead at 19:29. He got his stick on the puck as it drifted in the blue paint behind Askarov. Assists went to Leo Carlsson and Troy Terry.

Jeff Skinner scored at 5:34 of the third period with a spin shot. Assists went to Ty Dellandrea and Orlov.

Gauthier scored his second of the game, tipping McTavish’s shot at 10:29.

Kreider tied the game again in the final minute of regulation. He knocked in a rebound that Askarov could not cover. Assists went to Leo Carlsson and Terry.

Carlsson scored the game winner 48 seconds into overtime. Celebrini lost the puck in Carlsson’s feet, giving Carlsson the opportunity to break away. Granlund got the assist.

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

Sharks Fall 5-2 to Flames, Toffoli Scores 30th

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San Jose Sharks’ Tyler Toffoli (73) scores on Calgary Flames goalie Dustin Wolf (32) during first period NHL hockey action in Calgary on Sunday, April 13, 2025. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 5-2 to the Calgary Flames Sunday. MacKenzie Weegar, Adam Klapka, Yegor Sharangovich and Matt Coronato scored for Calgary. Dustin Wolf made 28 saves for the win. The win preserves playoff hopes for Calgary fans as the team avoided elimination. Tyler Toffoli and Jan Rutta scored for San Jose. Toffoli’s goal was his 30th of the season, for the third season in a row. Georgi Romanov made 25 saves in the loss. It was the ninth loss in a row for the Sharks.

After the game, Tyler Toffoli talked about the season’s many losses:

“We’ve been in so many games this year and blown so many leads in stupid ways, that I think if everyone reflects in the right way going into the summer and comes into training camp next year it could be a completely different season.”

Jan Rutta also commented on the team’s tendency to lose: “We’ve been playing well enough to win a lot of games and always found a way to lose.”

Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky was asked what he wanted the young players to learn from these losses. He said: “How hard it is to win in this league, how you can’t get caught taking a breath at any moment, that it’s a fine line between winning and losing.”

The Sharks took the lead at 3:09 of the first period. Tyler Toffoli scored his 30th of the season with a wrist shot from right in front of the blue paint. Assists went to Lucas Carlsson and Noah Gregor.

Calgary tied it up with their fourth shot of the game at 9:24. After the Sharks twice failed to clear the zone, MacKenzie Weegar scored with a shot from the top of the faceoff circle. Assists went to Adam Klapka and Jonathan Huberdeau.

Calgary took the lead at 14:15 with a goal from Klapka. Klapka skated to the net as Nazem Kadri carried the puck in along the boards and then centered it for the snap shot. An assist went to Huberdeau as well.

At the end of the first period, the Sharks led in shots 15-6. The only penalty in the period went against the Sharks for too many men on the ice.

The Sharks tied it up 4:20 into the second period. Jan Rutta scored with a backhand as he skated by the net. Assists went to William Eklund and Tyler Toffoli.

The second period was as lopsided as the first, though this time the shots favored Calgary 16-5. The Sharks again took the only penalty of the period, a high-stick against Timothy Lijegren.

Calgary took the lead back with their third goal 1:30 into the third period. Yegor Sharangovich scored with a snap shot for his 100th career NHL goal. Assists went to Morgan Frost and Brayden Pachal.

The Flames padded that lead with a fourth goal at 10:55, a wrist shot in front of the net from Coronato. Assists went to Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman.

Sharangovich scored his second of the game into an empty net at 17:16. Rasmus Anderson got the assist.

The Flames took their two penalties of the game in the third period but it did not hurt their result, with the shots nearly even at 10-8 Sharks.

The Sharks will play their final road game of the season on Monday in Vancouver against the Canucks at 7:00 PM PT.

Sharks Fall 8-7 to Wild in Minnesota Barn Burner, Celebrini, Smith Shine

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Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) defends against a shot as San Jose Sharks center Cam Lund (46) pressures during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

By Mary Walsh

Marcus Johansson, Brock Faber, Joel Ericksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov scored for Minnesota. Ericksson Ek scored four of the Wild’s goals and Kaprizov scored two. Marc-Andre Fleury made 24 saves for the win. Tyler Toffoli, Macklin Celebrini, Carl Grundstrom, Nikolai Kovalenko and Will Smith scored for San Jose, with Celebrini earning his first NHL hat trick and Smith earning three assists. Alexandar Georgiev made 36 saves in the loss.

Celebrini became the youngest Sharks player to score three goals in a game. He is also now the Sharks’ all-time rookie points leader, with 62. Pat Falloon had 59. Not far down that same list is Will Smith with 44 points.

After the game, Will Smith talked about the comeback and the loss. “I think it’s been our kind of model all year that we’re never out of it but it’s obviously tough in the end.” Celebrini also mentioned the team’s tenacity: “We kept going, we kept pushing, we never really gave up.”

Tyler Toffoli talked about the pressure on these rookies: “They are relied on already to be the cornerstones of the franchise. Really proud of them, the way they handled themselves tonight but they’re going to have to do that for the rest of my time here.”

Toffoli scored the first goal of the game at 12:11 of the first period. William Eklund, at the goal line, took a pass from Alexander Wennberg and then passed the puck to Toffoli for the shot.

Marcus Johansson tied the game at 14:16 with a shot from the point. Assists went to Frederick Gaudreau and Gustav Nyquist.

Brock Faber gave the Wild a lead at 18:48 with a shot from high in the slot and through traffic. An assist went to Matt Boldy.

The Wild outshot the Sharks 17-10 in the first period. The Sharks went through a prolonged spell without a shot in the later half of the period, though they mustered a flurry of offense in the final minute or two.

Macklin Celebrini tied the game at two with a wrist shot at 7:29 of the second period. Catching a pass from Jack Thompson, Celebrini rolled around the Wild defender and then slid the puck around Fleury on the stick side. Assists went to Thompson and Will Smith.

Less than 20 seconds later, Joel Ericksson Ek gave the Wild a 3-2 lead. Assists went to Marcus Foligno and Matt Boldy.

Carl Grundstrom tied it again less than a minute later. Grundstrom carried the puck through the neutral zone and over the line before dropping it to Cam Lund, who gave it back as Grundstrum arrived at the net.

Macklin Celebrini made it 4-3 Sharks at 12:28. He ad the puck near the boards and passed it behind the net to Smith, who sent it back out when Celebrini went to the slot. Assists went to Smith and Timothy Liljegren.

Kirill Kaprizov tied it at 4 with a power play goal at 17:02. Assists went to Mats Zuccarello and Joel Ericksson Ek. Ericksson Ek scored his second of the game on a power play at 19:48. Assists went to Marco Rossi and Matt Boldy.

In the second period, the Wild outshot the Sharks but only 15-14, reflecting a much closer period. The Sharks took two penalties and a third matching minor in the second period.

Joel Ericksson Ek completed his hat trick with a power play goal 1:02 into the third. Assists went to Kaprizov and Zuccarello. Ericksson Ek made it a haul just over a minute later. Assists went to Boldy and Foligno.

Nikolai Kovalenko scored for the Sharks at 4:44. The goal was the start of a surprising third period comeback by the Sharks. Assists went to Celebrini and Henry Thrun.

Celebrini completed his hat trick and brought the Sharks within a goal at 10:02 of the third. Assists went to Smith and Kovalenko.

Will Smith tied the game with the Sharks net empty and less than a minute left on the clock. He took the shot from the top of the face-off circle into traffic at the net. Assists went to Lijegren and Celebrini.

Kirill Kaprizov scored the game winner for Minnesota at 1:01 of overtime. Assists went to Zuccarello and Jared Spurgeon.

The Sharks next play on Friday in Edmonton against the Oilers at 6:30 PM PT.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa: Capitals-Sharks face off on Saturday at SAP; All eyes on Ovechkin nine goals away from goal scoring record

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San Jose Sharks forward Tyler Toffoli (73) is seen here after scoring a goal in a Mon Mar 3, 2025 game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. On Thu Mar 13, 2025 Toffoli scored an unassisted empty net goal at 19:27 in the third period against the Chicago Blackhawks. (Canadian Press via AP)

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1  Colin Graf made headlines on Thursday night for the San Jose Sharks. Graf an undrafted rookie showed his handy work scoring twice. Will Smith scored a goal and an assist as the Sharks defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2.

#2 Mary, talk about the job that Sharks goaltender Alexander Georgiev did between the pipe stopping 24 shots and allowing two goals and holding Chicago just enough for the Sharks to come away with a two goal win.

#3 The Sharks Tyler Toffoli added the scoring with an empty netter for insurance in the win. Toffoli was fired up needless to say after scoring. It’s goals like these that can get a team motivated?

#4 Smith opened up the game in the first period with a goal at 3:48 getting a pass from Macklin Celebrini. Smith now has seven goals, 12 assists and 19 points in his last 19 games.

#5 The Sharks in a Saturday matinee will host the Washington Capitals at SAP Center for a 2:00pm faceoff. Needless to say the all the attention will be on the Capitals Alexander Ovechkin who needs nine more goals to pass all time NHL scoring leader Wayne Gretzky to achieve his 895th goal.

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

Sharks Win 6-2 Over Sabres, Georgiev Wins Back-to-Back Games

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left to right the San Jose Sharks Mario Ferraro (38), Macklin Celebrini (71) congratulate goaltender Alexander Georgiev (40) who stopped 20 Buffalo Sabres shots at Key Bank Center in Buffalo on Tue Mar 4, 2025 (San Jose Sharks X photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks defeated the Buffalo Sabres 6-2 on Tuesday. Timothy Liljegren, Nico Sturm, Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith and Tyler Toffoli scored for San Jose. Alexandar Georgiev made 20 saves for San Jose the win. JJ Peterka and Tage Thommpson scored for Buffalo. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 22 saves in the loss.

After a loss in Montreal, Nico Sturm said that the Sharks were having trouble extending their lead, that they needed to “just score another goal.” The team did that Tuesday night with four goals in the third period. Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky said: “Our guys were committed to it. You could tell from the beginning of puck drop we wanted to win the hockey game. We went on the attack.”

Two wins in a row has not been easy for the Sharks, but these wins had the distinction of being on back to back nights, with an overtime and shootout the first night, and the same Sharks goalie in both games. It was a somewhat unusual schedule for the San Jose goaltender: “I wouldn’t say it threw off my routine. Just probably not a lot of sleep. After the last win, I was pretty hyped. Yeah I felt… just trying to battle it out in the first period, have a good first and see what happened.”

After a scoreless first period, the Sharks scored 1:01 into the second period. Timothy Liljegren caught a cross-ice pass from William Eklund and took a shot. The puck slid under Luukkonen and went just over the line. The officials did not see it and play went on. A later review called it a goal. Assists went to Eklund and Jake Walman.

JJ Peterka tied it at 5:13 on a power play. Peterka scored with a slap shot off of a set up by Rasmus Dahlin. Assists went to Dahlin and Jack Quinn.

Nico Sturm gave the Sharks a 2-1 lead at 18:22. Collin Graf passed the puck across the ice and it went off of a Sabres defender. Sturm was right on hand to catch that stray puck and put it away. Assists went to Graf and Klim Kostin.

The Sharks out-shot the Sabres 11-5 in the first period. The Sabres took two penalties in the first, and the Sharks took two in the second. The Sabres had a tiny edge in shots for the second period, 11-10.

William Eklund extended the lead to 3-1 at early in the third period. Catching a pass off the boards from Toffoli, he shot the puck from just above the goal line. Toffoli and Shakir Mukhamadullin got the assists.

Tage Thompson trimmed that lead at 6:55 with a slap shot off a pass from Peterka. An assist also went to Connor Clifton.

Just over a minute later, Macklin Celebrini scored his 19th of the season. He had just come off the bench and the Sharks were swarming the net. Mukhamadullin passed the puck across the ice to Celebrini for a wrist shot. An assist also went to Will Smith.

Smith scored at 12:49 to make it 5-2. Smith caught a pass off the boards from Fabian Zetterlund in the Sharks’ end. He then skated all the way to the other end, evading the Sabres defense to score his 11th of the season.

Tyler Toffoli scored into an empty net at 18:01. Assists went to Jake Walman and Timothy Liljegren.

On the trade front, Vitek Vanecek was held out of Tuesday’s game in anticipation of a trade. Which team the Sharks are dealing with has not been announced.

The Sharks next play on Thursday in Colorado against the Avalanche at 6:30 PM PT.

Sharks Rally to Defeat Maple Leafs 3-2 in Shootout; Win ends San Jose’s 8 game loss streak

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San Jose Sharks forward Tyler Toffoli (73) is thrilled after scoring his third period goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Mon Mar 3, 2025 (Canadian Press via AP)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks won 3-2 in a shootout against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jack Thompson and Tyler Toffoli scored for the Sharks. Toffoli and Fabian Zetterlund scored to win the shootout. Alexandar Georgiev made 25 saves and three in the shootout for the win. John Tavares and Matthew Knies scored for the Maple Leafs, and William Nylander scored in the shootout. Anthony Stolarz made 20 saves and two in the shootout loss.

The win ended an eight-game losing streak and, for the Leafs, it ended a five-game win streak. The Sharks not only won, but came back from a two goal deficit to start the third period. Also to the Sharks’ credit, the two goals they gave up came on the power play. The game was hard won for the Sharks.

John Tavares scored the first goal after a scoreless first period. At 8:28 of the second, Tavares tipped a shot from Mitch Marner on a power play. Assists went to Marner and Nylander.

Matthew Knies made it 2-0 at 19:55 of the second, again on the power play. Knies redirected Auston Matthews’ shot from the goal line. An assist also went to Tavares.

Jack Thompson started the Sharks comeback at 2:23 of the third. Alexander Wennberg sent the puck in from the blue line. The shot went off of the boards behi8nd the net and back up to Thompson for a shot form above the faceoff dot. Assists went to Wennberg and William Eklund.

Tyler Toffoli tied the game at 10:10. Wennberg carried the puck into the zone, around behind the net and then centered it for a waiting Toffoli. An assist also went to Shakir Mukhamadullin.

In the shootout, Georgiev stopped Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews and John Tavares. William Nylander scored.

Stolarz stopped Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith. Tyler Toffoli and Fabian Zetterlund scored.

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