Sharks Locker Room: Why Grinders Play on Skill Lines

PITTSBURGH — “That was Ty’s best game as a Shark.”

Head coach Ryan Warsofsky was that impressed by Ty Dellandrea’s effort in the San Jose Sharks’ 4-3 shootout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday.

The Pens were up 3-0, but Tyler Toffoli twice and Mikael Granlund got the Sharks into overtime. Dellandrea got an assist, but his game was about more than that.

TOFFOLI CAN’T BE TAMED pic.twitter.com/8WgSwnHFkb

— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) November 17, 2024

From the drop of the puck, Dellandrea was buzzing, winning puck battles, turning pucks over on the forecheck, and just generally being that “hard to play against” player that San Jose has missed so much over the last couple of years.

“What he’s got to realize is how does he impact the game in different ways? With his speed, with his competitiveness, with his intensity on the forecheck, with some playmaking ability, with some simple hockey,” Warsofsky said. “He’s learning that, he kind of knows, but it just needs to be more consistent.”

That was one of the best bottom-six performances from a San Jose Sharks forward in the last couple years, and a great example of why coaches put a certain type of player with more skilled players.

Why Barclay Goodrow with Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith? Why Dellandrea with Toffoli and Alex Wennberg?

Well, someone’s got to do the dirty work.

Of course, it’d be nice to complete all of your scoring lines with say a Mikko Rantanen. But since that’s not realistic, Dellandrea’s performance is a reminder that constructing an effective line isn’t as simple as smushing your most-skilled forwards together.

It’s also a reminder that the Sharks, slowly but surely, are starting to become that “hard to play against” team that didn’t exist in the bottom-six last year beyond maybe Nico Sturm and Luke Kunin on a consistent basis.

Dellandrea, 24, was acquired from the Dallas Stars for a 2025 fourth-round pick over the summer.

So he’s young enough — like Warsofsky stressed, with more consistency — to be part of the San Jose Sharks’ next playoff team.

More performances like tonight, he will be.

Mike Sullivan talked about facing lifetime family friend Warsofsky.

Warsofsky discussed Celebrini and Smith’s line, and Celebrini’s battle tonight.

Mackenzie Blackwood was spectacular in relief of the injured Vitek Vanecek, Dellandrea discussed why his line was successful, and Toffoli broke down his goals.

Mike Sullivan

Sullivan, on facing off against head coach Ryan Warsofsky for the first time:

It’s terrific, from my standpoint.

I’m so proud of him and what he’s accomplished to get to where he is. He’s a great young coach. He’s a really enthusiastic learner and I couldn’t be more thrilled for him. He’s deserving of the opportunities that he’s been given.

He’s doing a great job of that team. It doesn’t surprise me. He’s put the work in and the time to hone the craft, so to speak. He’s coached at so many levels along the way to build a certain experience level that’s helping him.

So I couldn’t be happier for him.

My parents are his godparents, and so his family is very close with my family.

I consider him family, so to watch him do what he does right now certainly is a proud moment for all of us. In my family, anyway, that have the opportunity to watch him from afar. I didn’t root for him tonight, but every other night I root for him.

Ryan Warsofsky

Warsofsky, on Ty Dellandrea’s line:

That was Ty’s best game as a Shark. He was skating. He was physical, Obviously, made a big play to Toff there on the goal. I liked their line a lot. I think they bring good energy. I thought Tyler was good tonight, too. So that line was good tonight.

What he’s got to realize is how does he impact the game in different ways? With his speed, with his competitiveness, with his intensity on the forecheck, with some playmaking ability, with some simple hockey. He’s learning that, he kind of knows, but it just needs to be more consistent.

Warsofsky, on how far the San Jose Sharks are from delivering 60-minute efforts:

I think we’re closer than we were in the beginning of the season, but we gotta keep hammering away our identity and how we need to play with our puck play and just keeping our game simple. We try to get too cute at times. That’s what gets into trouble. After tonight, I don’t feel like we’re that close, to be honest with you, we’ve still got a ways to go. Until every guy in there is believing in that, it’s going to be this up-and-down of a game that we’re going to see.

Warsofsky, on Celebrini and Smith together as a line:

They did some good things in the offensive zone with the puck. They also have to do some things a lot better without the puck. Awareness…this is young players we’re talking, 18-year-old, 19-year-old kids. So it’s nothing that we didn’t realize was going to happen, especially when [they] have last change and the match-ups and all that. So it’s kind of to be expected, and they’re going to continue to get better and more understanding of situations that are happening on the ice, but they’ve grown a lot since day one.

Warsofsky, on Celebrini winning more battles tonight:

That’s something Mack and I talked about the other day is just getting more competitive in his battles, using his body more, I thought he did a really good job of that tonight.

#TheFutureIsTeal All-Stars are Nick Gialdini and Cody Ward, they get another challenge right. Offsides

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 17, 2024

Mackenzie Blackwood

Blackwood, on when he learned that he was coming in, and entering cold:

About five minutes before [the second period]. That’s tough. Obviously, you’re cold and you have no feel of the game, so you got to go in there and try and get into the game quick.

Typically, I’ve struggled with that in the past, I’ve struggled to come off the bench and put up a good performance.

Blackwood, on how important a road trip full of comebacks like this is for the San Jose Sharks:

We’re close to doing a lot of things good. We’ve made a few mistakes.

It’s really positive that this group never quits. Every guy in here is awesome. Everyone goes to bat for each other. Everyone loves each other in there. So it’s great, great locker room feeling.

And hopefully, we can continue to just kind of piece these together and build off it.

Blackwood didn't know that Crosby was a goal away from 600. Crosby got the best of him for No. 599 and the shootout, but Blackwood's best saves tonight were also against Sid.

"Unbelievable," Dellandrea said of Blackwood's 25-of-26 relief performance. "I remember 3 backdoor…

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 17, 2024

Ty Dellandrea

Dellandrea, on all the puck battles that he won tonight:

I felt good. I knew I needed to be better, be more engaged, and physically into the game. I was trying to do that tonight. I think good start helped that. And Wenny and Toff, playing with those guys, we had some good chemistry there, and a lot of O-Zone shifts.

Dellandrea, on Blackwood’s performance:

Awesome. Unbelievable. Huge saves. Like three backdoor passes that could have been automatic goals. He saved us and got us a huge point.

Tyler Toffoli

Toffoli, on his two goals:

The first one off the power play and Smitty made a good play. The second one, Delly did a good job of getting the puck and working and [I was] just able to get the shot off.