The San Jose Sharks walked into St. Louis without Macklin Celebrini and still dragged the home opener into overtime, only to watch Darnell Nurse end it for the Blues in a 3-2 finish Thursday night.
St. Louis struck first and looked comfortable doing it.
Connor McMichael kept his strong start rolling with his second goal of the season, giving him four points in four games, and the Blues spent much of the opening stretch leaning on Alex Nedeljkovic. The Sharks spent the first 20 minutes chasing the game, getting outshot 11-3 before the break.
San Jose’s penalty kill helped keep the damage from getting worse after Michael Kesselring was whistled at 7:28 of the first for cross-checking Jimmy Snuggerud. The Blues never managed a shot on that power play, and the 1-0 score held into intermission.
The Sharks finally found their footing in the second period. They got their first power play at 6:39 when Joel Hofer took down Michael Misa beside the St.
Louis net, and Tyler Toffoli made the most of the moment shortly after the penalty expired. While being cross-checked by Colton Parayko, Toffoli buried his second of the season to even the game 1-1 just before the midway point.
Hofer came up big again soon after, turning away Luca Cagnoni on what looked like a sure goal 14 minutes into the period. San Jose then earned another chance when Alexander Wennberg drew a slashing call that sent Fowler to the box, but the Blues nearly flipped the script with a short-handed threat before Dillon Dube couldn’t corral the puck. The Sharks’ power play ended early when Ivar Stenberg was called for slashing with seven seconds left, and San Jose survived the shortened Blues chance.
The middle frame stayed tense from there. Mason McTavish had a chance to put St.
Louis back in front with a one-handed attempt, but Michael Kesselring stopped it. Moments later, the Blues were called for delay of game after Brandon Carlo shot the puck over the glass.
St. Louis made that pressure count in the third.
Dube scored short-handed while Carlo was in the box to give the Blues their second lead of the night. San Jose answered again, this time on Collin Graf’s first goal of the season, set up by a pinching Sam Dickinson.
With the game hanging in the balance, Kiefer Sherwood kept it alive by knocking a clear chance over the net with a little more than a minute left in regulation. That pushed things to overtime, where the Sharks couldn’t finish the job.
Just over a minute into the extra period, Ivar Stenberg found Darnell Nurse with room, and the veteran defenseman buried his first goal in teal to seal the 3-2 win for St. Louis.
In Other News...
Sharks Showed Something Important With Celebrini Suddenly Out
The Sharks had to navigate a tough test in St. Louis without Macklin Celebrini, who was unavailable because of a lower-body injury, and the result was the kind of response a young team can point to later. San Jose edged the Blues 3-2 in overtime, with Darnell Nurse delivering the winner and the group finding a way to keep its footing even after losing its captain before the puck dropped.
There was more movement around the roster as well, with Brett Leason placed on waivers, a decision that appears to clear room for another forward to rejoin the lineup once healthy. Between the win and the personnel shuffle, San Jose suddenly has a little more to sort through than just the score sheet, and the next update on Celebrini will loom large after a night that hinted at the teams depth but left the bigger injury question hanging. [Read more 🡒]
Sharks Get The Win They Needed But One Issue Still Stands Out
The Sharks found enough offense and enough resolve at Enterprise Center to leave St. Louis with a much-needed win, a result that offered a welcome change of pace after a stretch in which every point has felt precious. Tyler Toffoli and Collin Graf both chipped in goals as San Jose stayed in the game through the ups and downs of a detailed, penalty-filled night, and there were positive stretches mixed in with the familiar struggles that have followed the club.
Darnell Nurse added the decisive strike in overtime, a finish that mattered not just for the standings but for the kind of belief a team can carry out of a building like this. Still, even with the victory in hand, one issue continued to stand out for the Sharks across the period-by-period flow of the game, and it was the sort of wrinkle that cant be ignored for long if they want nights like this to become more common. [Read more 🡒]
Sharks Roster Move Just Put Their Early Forward Picture In Focus
The Sharks early-season forward group is starting to take shape, and a recent roster move gave a clearer look at where things stand. San Jose placed Brett Leason on waivers after he did not appear in the teams first three games, a sign the club is getting closer to full health up front after sorting through its opening-week lineup combinations.
Adam Gaudettes progress is the key piece here, as the center is nearing a return from the upper-body injury he suffered in training camp and should slide back into a middle-six role soon. If Leason clears, the expectation is that he will head to the AHLs San Jose Barracuda, leaving the Sharks with a cleaner picture as they try to settle their forward rotation early in the season. [Read more 🡒]