SAN JOSE – It figured to be Tyler Toffoli’s evening on Monday, because the San Jose Sharks winger scored twice to snap a 12-game aim drought and had his first four-point sport in nearly two seasons.
However Toffoli needed to share the highlight with one among his linemates, as Will Smith scored one of many prettiest objectives of the season and likewise completed with 4 factors to assist the Sharks earn a 6-3 win over the Utah Mammoth at SAP Middle.
Toffoli scored twice within the first interval, along with his second on the 12:59 mark proper after a faceoff, to snap a aim drought that dated again to the Sharks’ Nov 5 sport in opposition to the Seattle Kraken.
Toffoli then assisted on a Smith aim on the 6:16 mark of the second interval that introduced the sparse however energetic residence crowd of 11,241 to its ft.
Smith took a cross from Macklin Celebrini within the Utah zone, put the puck by means of the legs of Mammoth defenseman Nate Schmidt, stickhandled round ahead Brandon Tanev, who fell down on the play, then fired a shot previous screened goalie Vitek Vanecek to provide the Sharks a 4-2 lead.
Smith added one other aim on the 9:09 mark of the second, once more off an help from Toffoli, because the Sharks scored 3 times in a span of two:53 to take a 6-2 lead into the third interval.
Celebrini had three assists to provide him 40 factors on the season, second-most within the NHL behind Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon, and goalie Yaroslav Askarov had 31 saves because the Sharks received for the fifth time in 9 video games.
Will Smith with some sick mitts and he places it previous Vanecek. All we are able to is… EWWWW! What a aim!#TheFutureIsTeal 4, #TusksUp 2 pic.twitter.com/ZZ5IZzABZ6
Adam Gaudette and Pavol Regenda, who made his Sharks debut on Monday, additionally scored for San Jose, which subsequent hosts Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals on Wednesday evening to shut out a two-game homestand.
Regenda’s aim, his first within the NHL since Nov. 11, 2022, when he was with the Anaheim Geese, got here on the facility play on the 7:58 mark of the primary interval. A shot by Philipp Kurashev from the half-wall went off Regenda’s skate and previous Utah beginning goalie Karel Vejmelka for a 2-0 Sharks lead.
Vejmelka was pulled after Toffoli scored his second of the sport on the 12:59 mark of the primary.
Regenda, now in his second season within the Sharks group after he was acquired from the Anaheim Geese in January, was recalled from the Barracuda of the AHL on Monday after the crew positioned defenseman Vincent Desharnais on injured reserve.
Regenda’s sport on Monday was his first within the NHL since March 17, 2024.
Mammoth defenseman Mikhail Sergachev was booed all sport by the Sharks followers in attendance on Monday.
Earlier than the sport, the Sharks honored their longtime mascot, S.J. Sharkie, who was just lately named the NHL’s Mascot of the 12 months for 2025. Sharkie dropped the ceremonial first puck at middle ice between Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro and Sergachev.
Ferraro shook Sharkie’s hand, however Sergachev skated off as Sharkie prolonged his hand, leaving him hanging. Sergachev was then booed inside SAP Middle each time he touched the puck.
The Sharks are embarking on one other difficult a part of their schedule.
Beginning with Wednesday’s residence sport in opposition to the Capitals, eight of the Sharks’ subsequent 10 video games earlier than the Christmas break are in opposition to groups that, as of Monday, had been in a playoff place.
The Sharks don’t play any video games on back-to-back nights this month, however eight of their subsequent 13 video games are on the street, together with a five-game journey by means of Dallas, Carolina, Philadelphia, Toronto and Pittsburgh.
