The Sharks made their point early at Tech CU Arena: this was going to be a team that answered for each other.
That message showed up in the physical moments as much as the goals. When 7’1″ Alexander Karmanov stepped in and dropped the gloves, San Jose’s bench rose with him. Players gathered along the boards and watched, and the support carried through the night as the Sharks handled the Kings in their Rookie Faceoff opener.
The exhibition label didn’t soften the edge. If anything, the game gave San Jose a first look at the kind of identity it wants to build during this tournament, with communication, physical play and backing up teammates all part of the picture. With Barracuda and Sharks roster spots still up for grabs, how the younger players respond in those moments matters.
San Jose also backed up the talk on the scoreboard.
Filip Bystedt started the scoring in the first period, and Carson Wetsch and Andre Gasseau followed less than a minute apart. Gasseau struck again before the period ended, sending the Sharks into the intermission up 4-1.
The second period belonged to San Jose as well. Wetsch scored his second of the night on the power play to push the lead to four.
Then the third period turned into more of the same. Ivar Stenberg scored twice in a 25-second span, with Michael Misa assisting on both goals. Pavel Martinu later added a power-play goal to close out the scoring.
The Sharks’ offense came from all over the lineup, but the third line of Gasseau, Jake Gustafson and Wetsch stood out for its work around the crease and its ability to absorb contact. McCarthy said that group’s success came from playing “on the inside.”
Afterward, head coach John McCarthy kept coming back to the team’s response to the game’s physical tone.
“I thought guys got involved when they needed to get involved,” he said. “And everybody stuck in there together.”
He was just as direct about that third line.
“They were good,” McCarthy said. “I thought they had success because they got to the hard areas, got to the net.”
McCarthy also singled out Gustafson’s experience and physical edge, saying he “plays the game the right way” and brings leadership qualities from junior hockey.
Wetsch’s night offered another encouraging sign. McCarthy said his hands looked sharper in traffic while he kept the straight-line style that has become part of his game.
“I thought his hands looked a little better, making some plays in tight areas,” McCarthy said.
The fights added to the tone. Quentin Musty fought Jared Woolley in the third period, and Karmanov also dropped the gloves after an incident on the ice. McCarthy said he does not want Musty fighting too often, but he liked what the moment said about the player’s intent.
“It does show that he’s committed to standing out, trying to do something to get attention,” McCarthy said. “So good on him for doing it.”
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