The Sharks are back at SAP Center tonight for the second and final game of their opening homestand, and the assignment is a familiar one: clean up the mess left behind by a wild opener and show they can hold a lead without hanging on by their fingernails.
San Jose opened the season by beating the Florida Panthers in overtime, but that win came with plenty of drama. The Sharks jumped ahead 3-0, lost the lead, then watched Florida tie it in the third period before Luca Cagnoni finished it off in overtime. It was a first opening-night win for the Sharks in half of a decade, but it also came with the kind of breakdowns they can’t keep repeating.
That’s the real test tonight. The result was there against Florida, but the 60-minute game was not.
The Sharks have spent too long living with those lapses as part of the rebuild, and if this team is serious about moving past that phase under Mike Grier, those stretches have to disappear. They can’t let a game turn because they stopped pushing or because they gave up two goals in 17 seconds.
Discipline is another area that needs work. The penalty situation wasn’t just about young players learning on the fly.
Outside of Collin Graf’s fighting major and Cagnoni’s penalty, it was the veterans who kept ending up in the box. Darnell Nurse was whistled twice for nearly identical penalties, Kiefer Sherwood took two minors, and Mason Marchment also went to the box.
San Jose can’t keep living on the penalty kill for more than half a period and expect that to be a winning formula.
Faceoffs also remain a clear issue. Of the Sharks’ four centers on opening night, only Alexander Wennberg finished with more wins than losses at the dot.
Macklin Celebrini was exactly 50%, which is fine considering everything else he brings. Michael Misa came in at 45.5%, not ideal but manageable if it’s a one-night problem.
Zack Ostapchuk, though, went 0-for-7, and that’s not going to cut it for a penalty-killing fourth-line center.
San Jose’s projected lineup has Marchment with Celebrini and Smith on the top line, followed by Stenberg, Wennberg and Graf; Chernyshov, Misa and Toffoli; and Goodrow, Ostapchuk and Sherwood. The blue line projection lists Nurse and Kesselring, Dickinson or Jacob Trouba if he’s able to play, Allan, and Orlov with Cagnoni. Trouba is a game-time decision because of illness, and if he suits up, he takes Dickinson’s spot for the second straight game.
Los Angeles is projected to counter with Panarin, Byfield and Kempe up top, Zuccarello, Turcotte and Laferriere on the second line, Moore, Haula and Laughton on the third, and Armia and Perry on the fourth. The Kings’ defense pairing projections are Edmundson and Clarke, Dumoulin and Doughty, and Anderson and Ceci, with Gustafsson also listed. Forsberg is projected in goal, with Kuemper behind him on the depth chart.
In Other News...
Sharks Are Winning But One Early Concern Is Hard To Ignore
The Sharks kept their perfect start intact with a wild 5-4 overtime win over the Kings at SAP Center, and the energy around the building fit the way this one unfolded. San Jose had to answer plenty of pressure along the way, but it still found enough offense to keep pace in a game that swung back and forth before ending in extra time.
There was plenty to like for a club that is 2-0-0 out of the gate, though one early concern is already hard to dismiss. Even with the scoring coming through in big moments, the Sharks needed a heavy workload in net and were forced to lean on Yaroslav Askarov for 31 saves to get over the line, a reminder that the teams winning start has not been built on easy nights. [Read more 🡒]
Sharks Just Sent A Clear Signal About Patrick Giles Roster Spot
The Sharks have made a clear roster move with Patrick Giles, waiving the winger as they continue sorting out the edges of the lineup. Giles, 26, arrived with some NHL experience after starting his pro career in the Florida Panthers organization and spending time with the Charlotte Checkers before landing in San Jose and earning a two-year extension.
His latest stint with the Sharks had been complicated by an upper-body injury, and now his future path runs through waivers before he can head back to the AHL. For a player who has had to carve out every step of his career as an undrafted signing, it is another reminder that roster security in San Jose can change quickly once the numbers start to tighten. [Read more 🡒]
Sharks Face A Steep Price To Land This Young Blue-Line Target
The Sharks have already made some defensive commitments, but the search for more help on the blue line could still lead them into tougher territory. One name that has come up is Detroit defenseman Simon Edvinsson, a young pending restricted free agent whose situation has drawn attention around the league because he reportedly prefers a trade. For San Jose, the appeal is obvious: he fits the age curve and the kind of talent base the organization has been trying to build.
The cost, though, looks steep enough to make any pursuit tricky. A framework to get Edvinsson out of Detroit would likely involve Sam Dickinson, another former first-round pick, and draft capital on top of the usual salary-cap gymnastics. It is the kind of price that forces a team to weigh immediate need against long-term depth, and for the Sharks it remains more a conversation about feasibility than a deal that is anywhere close to done. [Read more 🡒]