Bordeleau Dazzles in 5-1 Sharks Win, What’s Next Step for Him?

LAS VEGAS – The San Jose Sharks are hoping this is coming soon to the NHL.

The Sharks steamrolled the rival Vegas Golden Knights 5-1 on Saturday night…but at the Rookie Faceoff. They’re now 2-0 with one more game, against the Arizona Coyotes, on Monday.

Thomas Bordeleau netted a pair of spectacular goals, and Kasper Halttunen, Ethan Cardwell, and Ozzy Wiesblatt rounded out the scoring for San Jose. Magnus Chrona stopped 30 of 31 shots.

Vegas falls to San Jose, 5-1, in its second game of the 2023 Rookie Faceoff. pic.twitter.com/PWxVw8gimn

— VGK Communications (@VGK_PR) September 17, 2023

Head coach John McCarthy and Cardwell spoke post-game.

Who Impressed?

“Our goalie Chrona, I thought played really well, kind of a calming presence back there. Kind of played a mature game,” McCarthy said. “Furlong, I thought made some plays on the back-end. I thought Bordeleau had a good night, made some things happen offensively, played pretty well defensively.

“I liked Gagnon. I thought he was competitive. He’s here on a tryout and he’s working in the faceoff circle. Anthony Vincent brought a pace to the game, finished his checks, and he was effective.”

Cardwell quipped of his Rookie Faceoff roommate Chrona, “He’s a pretty calm guy, pretty laidback guy. Not a typical goalie, if you ask me.

“Made a ton of big stops to really give us a good push that game.”

Next Step for Bordeleau?

We all know Thomas Bordeleau has offensive talent. If you haven’t seen it, check out the goals that he scored, including one on his butt.

GOTTA SEE IT: Bordeleau Scores Goal While Sitting on Ice

Cardwell said that he had never seen a goal like that: “He’s got an incredible talent. I think everybody knows that.”

Bordeleau also added a pretty primary assist on Wiesblatt’s goal.

But of course, the San Jose Sharks’ 2020 second-round pick has to up his commitment to winning hockey, be it defensively or playing a harder game, to become a full-time NHL’er.

McCarthy saw more of that tonight than he did yesterday, a 4-3 shootout victory over the Los Angeles Kings.

Romanov Wall, Guryev Slugfest Powers Sharks’ 4-3 Rookie Faceoff Win

“I thought tonight was a step in the right direction. I thought he was competitive, got involved physically, meaning getting inside, winning loose pucks. I saw more of that from him, which was good,” McCarthy shared. “What else are you doing, besides getting your power play points? Is that other stuff there consistently enough?”

How Bordeleau answers those questions in the coming years will likely be the difference between being an NHL’er or another leaguer.