SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks made a number of strikes within the offseason to attempt to handle their most evident points, which included a repeated lack of ability to guard third-period leads.
Two video games into the 2025-26 season, the heartache the Sharks have felt in that space has solely gotten worse.
Simply two days after coughing up a late third-period result in the Vegas Golden Knights, then shedding bizarrely in extra time, the Sharks had it occur once more Saturday in opposition to the Anaheim Geese.
Main by one with underneath a minute left, the disorganized Sharks have been unable to decelerate the Geese, as Chris Kreider pounced on his personal rebound and beat goalie Yaroslav Askarov from in shut.
Then, within the first minute of extra time, Macklin Celebrini turned the puck over within the Geese’ zone, resulting in a Leo Carlsson objective on a 2-on-1 going the opposite technique to hand the Sharks a 7-6 loss.
“(Carlsson) was coming out with probably more speed than I thought, and I kind of found myself in a position where I felt I needed to try to make a move,” Celebrini mentioned. “He had angle, and it may’t occur. I can’t flip over the puck there. I can’t surrender that likelihood for them.
“Live to fight another day sometimes, and that’s a mistake that I’m going to have to sleep on.”
Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky referred to as Celebrini’s turnover “awful,” however added it’s “Not just Mack. Really, our whole game wasn’t great, let’s be honest. So, keep working with these young guys and our team here to have an understanding of what that looks like.”
🚨LEO CARLSSON CALLS GAME 🚨
WE WIN!!!#FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/zovBwOTaUO
It wasn’t the identical form of recreation because the Sharks’ 4-3 loss to the Golden Knights on Thursday. San Jose performed with extra construction and largely took higher care of the puck that night time till a pair of embarrassing gaffes by goalie Alex Nedeljovic led to a heartbreaking loss.
Saturday, the Sharks hardly ever performed with any construction and fell right into a run-and-gun recreation with the Geese, who, because it seems, are a lot better at each operating and gunning.
The Sharks, per Pure Stat Trick, allowed 20 high-danger possibilities to the Geese, in comparison with simply seven in opposition to the Golden Knights. San Jose’s offense was clicking, however its protection took the night time off.
“We should be 2-0,” Warsofsky mentioned.
What do the Sharks have to do higher defensively as a group?
“Everything,” Warsofsky mentioned.
The Sharks have been listed as having 20 giveaways in opposition to the Geese, together with eight within the third interval.
“We need some poise,” Warsofsky mentioned. “We’re chucking pucks around in the defensive zone, on breakouts, our d-zone structure, just chucking it around, and they were all over us.”
The Sharks’ file after they led after two intervals final season was a dismal 12-8-4, and was a major motive the Sharks completed in final place within the NHL standings with a 20-50-12 file. Within the wake of that calamity, the Sharks overhauled their protection corps and goaltending and introduced in some new faces up entrance.
That was supposed to assist resolve the difficulty, but it surely hasn’t paid off thus far, though the 2 factors they’ve collected match the whole the Sharks had by means of their first 9 video games final season (0-7-2).
“We knew it was going to be a work in progress to get everyone on the same page,” Warsofsky mentioned. “With a lot of new players, it takes time to build the chemistry, not so much offensively, but defensively, with our puck play in the defensive zone and the neutral zone.”
San Jose Sharks’ Ty Dellandrea (10) skates on the ice in opposition to Anaheim Geese’ Jacob Trouba (65) within the third interval on the SAP Middle in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Space Information Group)
The Sharks’ high two strains have been completely caved at even energy by the Geese’ high strains, so it’s honest to imagine Warsofsky will juggle these combos forward of Tuesday’s recreation in opposition to the tight-checking Carolina Hurricanes.
As for who the Sharks’ goalie might be, who is aware of? Askarov could have let in a single or two questionable targets, however he was underneath siege all recreation, and definitely had a tougher night time than Geese goalie Petr Mrazek, who confronted simply six pictures within the first interval and had 17 saves for the sport.
Nedeljkovic is probably going desperate to get again in a recreation after the opener and want to face his outdated group. In 9 profession video games in opposition to Carolina, with whom he started his NHL profession in 2017, he’s 5-3-1 with a .918 save share.
Askarov, too, would really like a chance to get the bitter style of Saturday’s loss out of his mouth. As would the skaters in entrance of him.
Sooner or later, the strikes the Sharks made within the offseason will repay. It’s only a matter of when.
“We just need to kind of relax,” Celebrini mentioned. “I think part of it is we want it so bad that maybe we’re overthinking. Maybe we just kind of panic sometimes, and it’s just frustrating when you’re that close.”
The San Jose Sharks rejoice San Jose Sharks’ Ryan Reaves (75) scoring a objective in opposition to the Anaheim Geese within the first interval on the SAP Middle in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Space Information Group)
