Sharks Locker Room: The Hope Is Real

Nobody has seen more San Jose Sharks’ losses since 2019-20 than Mario Ferraro.

So it had to feel different for Ferraro, more used to discussing defeat, to speak post-game after a win for once.

San Jose routed the Los Angeles Kings 7-2: Macklin Celebrini (twice), Nico Sturm, Fabian Zetterlund, Timothy Liljegren, Alex Wennberg, and Luke Kunin scored.

“There’s been a lot of moments in my time here where it hasn’t quite been so fun, me standing here, but today, after a pretty solid win by us, it feels good,” alternate captain Ferraro, who’s gone from Sharks’ Rookie of the Year in 2019-20 to veteran leader.

Hope has returned to the San Jose Sharks organization, and we’re finally see it on the ice. There might be nobody in the locker room more deserving to see it than the long-suffering Ferraro, unfairly staffed with the toughest defensive minutes in San Jose for most of last six seasons.

It’s a new hope from 2024 first-overall Celebrini, who put up the first three-point game of his career. From 2023 fourth-overall Will Smith, two assists. From 2021 seventh-overall William Eklund, two assists. From San Jose’s leading goal scorer last year Zetterlund, now tied with Tyler Toffoli and Mikael Granlund for the team lead this season with nine. From elite goaltending prospect Yaroslav Askarov, who stopped 22-of-24 shots for his first-ever Sharks’ win.

The game was tied at two apiece after two periods, before San Jose ran away with it, five goals in the final frame.

The last time that the San Jose Sharks scored five goals in a period?

Tonight was 15th time in #SJSharks history that they've scored 5 (or more) goals in a period.

Last time was during 2016 playoffs, 3rd period of Game 1 vs. Nashville.

Thanks to Charanbir Mahal of INDTVUSA for the idea to look this up on Stathead!

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 26, 2024

2016 was a pretty good year.

The San Jose Sharks are back to making good history.

Like 2016, like the last time that the Sharks made the playoffs, like all the losing that Ferraro has endured…it’s been a long time.

Macklin Celebrini

Celebrini was asked about his aggressive shooting mentality tonight, he credited Zetterlund.

"Before the game, Zetts told the boys to shoot the puck."

Zetterlund practiced what he preached, between he & Celebrini, they accounted for 8 of #SJSharks' 21 shots

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 26, 2024

Celebrini, on what he attributes his success at home to:

I don’t know, the hockey gods?

Celebrini, on LA centers Anze Kopitar and Phillip Danault:

You don’t get much when you’re on the ice with them. They take away so much time and space. Especially Kopitar, he’s such a special player. To me, someone I’ve watched growing up, I’ve admired his game. So to play against him, he frustrates the opposing team as much as I thought he would.

Celebrini, on his first goal:

I just kind of walked down the wall. I felt like I hadn’t been putting enough pucks on net. I figured if I put one on there, maybe it’d squeak out for a rebound. I just tried to get it through him and it went in.

Mario Ferraro

Ferraro, on talking to the press after a win, a rare occasion for him:

Winning is fun, especially when you do it like the way we did tonight.

Like you said, there’s been a lot of moments in my time here where it hasn’t quite been so fun, me standing here, but today, after a pretty solid win by us, it feels good. We just got to find a way to do it more consistently. It feels good. We know we love it. We know we love the feeling. We just got to try and do it a little more. Just keep building on that. But it’s a good win for our group. Warso always says we gotta hold onto this feeling and remember that. Remember that going into our next game against Ottawa.

Yaroslav Askarov

Askarov, on helping out the defense by coming out to play the puck:

It feels like I help a lot [the defense], but [it was also a] little too much today.

Askarov on #SJSharks' future, between himself & Celebrini & Smith & company: "We'll be fine, we'll be great."

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 26, 2024

Askarov grades his puckhandling tonight: "Sometimes good, sometimes shitty."

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 26, 2024

Ryan Warsofsky

Warsofsky, on Askarov’s game and puckhandling:

Worries me a little bit at times. (laughs) But he was good. He looks more and more comfortable every period he plays in the National Hockey League and looks calm in net. Made some big saves. It is nice to have him to come cut some rims in the defensive zone so we can stop pucks up and get numbers around it. So he does a really good job of it. We have to monitor it a little bit, but he’s confident with the puck, and he’s a confident kid.

Warsofsky, on Ferraro’s game:

Really good. Didn’t try to do too much, moved pucks when you need to, defend it hard, stop pucks up in the defensive zone. I liked his game a lot.

Warsofsky, on Celebrini’s first goal:

I think with Mack, him and I have had some conversations, sometimes, he wants to shoot it through the goalie. He has a good release, a sneaky release, where he can catch goalies like he did tonight.

I give him a lot of credit, that conversation was after last game, and he responded and he took in the information.

But I also like, his game is developing away from the puck, defensively. The last couple games, he’s been really good defensively, and he’s really coming on as a 200-foot player.