San Jose Sharks
Sharks Almost Blow It, But Win 4-3 in Shootout!
The San Jose Sharks welcome the Minnesota Wild into SAP Center.
Igor Chernyshov and Jeff Skinner and Macklin Celebrini scored, and the Sharks won it in the shootout!
Period 1
Kaprizov Grade-A chance 45 seconds in, big Askarov stop. Warsofsky said in the morning that the San Jose Sharks gave up too much counterattack in the Anaheim game, no zone entry denials. That starts a lot with managing the puck in the neutral zone.
2 in: Like that from Ostapchuk, F1 stops clean Bogosian exit pass.
4 in: Askarov giant for Sharks so far. Four minutes in, 4-0 Wild shots, Wild power play right now.
5 in: Strong, active PK shift from Dickinson there. Alert defensively, assertive with clears.
7 in: Good defensive work and calm puck-moving by Graf and Klingberg to get it out. Then on the rush, Toffoli makes a good decision, I think, to just fire a shot, don’t get too fancy. It’s team’s first shot of the game.
I don't think that Celebrini, midst of the game, looked up once when the scoreboard congratulated him and the fans were applauding his Team Canada selection😆
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) December 31, 2025
Tarasenko goal: Askarov might want that back because of distance, but Tarasenko picks a corner, too, he obviously can do that. That was a snipe. Sharks are not adhering to Warsofsky’s pre-game plan though, Orlov pinches, doesn’t get it, it’s an odd-man rush the other way. Ill-advised pinch, easy zone entry the other way.
5 left: Celebrini flings a brilliant cross-slot pass through multiple Wild to Goodrow. Then the top line, off the draw, Eklund takes it to the net, rebound, Chernyshov has a point-blank. That’s a really good shift.
3 left: Poor Mukhamadullin NZ turnover, just a telegraphed pass. Bad play, shake it off. Give him credit, he follows up with a decent defensive shift, then he springs Regenda for a partial breakaway.
Good block by Mukhamadullin to end period too. 8-8 shots, but I thought Wild chances were better. Natural Stat Trick doesn’t seem to agree though haha. They have San Jose 7-1 HD Chances at 5-on-5.
Period 2
Chernyshov goal: Lots of good here, Orlov pressures Wild in the corner, puck pops out, Celebrini with a gorgeous pass, and Chernyshov disguises forehand shot, a little inside-out versus Hughes, then beats Wallstedt. Yeah, I don’t think he’s going back down. Celebrin jumps into Chernyshov, I think he’s happy with his linemate.
4 in: Pretty Skinner set-up for Dickinson in slot. Sam gets a hold of it, big save. Skinner has had good skating pop today.
5 in: Eklund got bullied a little bit trying to get it out of the zone there. He’s got to pick up the pace there.
7 in: Good battle win by Reaves, one-on-one for puck in corner versus Brodin, enough speed and strength to hold off a very good defensive d-man. Honestly impressive for a guy that many had written off as an NHL’er over the summer, obviously still got lots of juice.
9 in: Orlov just takes it from big Eriksson Ek in corner. Impressive.
8 left: Ostapchuk has been flashing a little more offense. Beaut centering pass to Goodrow, shot goes wide, I think Barclay hoping for a call there. Firmer period for San Jose Sharks here, I’ve liked how they played.
Bogosian penalty: Gorgeous area pass by Klingberg that lands in front of Eklund for a partial breakaway.
Skinner goal: His first goal since Nov. 2. He looked very happy! And Regenda power play magic too: He got a pass off the wall from Chernyshov, quick move to the net. Then his flash screen got in Wallstedt’s line of sight. A little more 5-on-5 quickness, and there’s an everyday NHL’er there.
2 left: Celebrini just bullied 14-year NHL veteran Tarasenko for the puck.
Really liked this San Jose Sharks period, way better with the puck.
Period 3
Big cheer for Logan Couture on the scoreboard just now. Will Smith was sitting next to him
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) December 31, 2025
It’s just a fairy tale, but would be the coolest thing for Couture, if he were healthy, to come out of retirement for a Sharks’ playoff run as a middle-six center.
Celebrini goal: After an excellent fourth-line shift. Chernyshov picks off an Eriksson Ek exit pass or clear, then finds Macklin.
Foligno goal: 1st goal in 31 games. Askarov needs that one. One-timer, ripped, but bad angle. Both goals allowed today short-side high.
Zuccarello goal: Celebrini fires a pizza over the middle of DZ, and Zuccarello fires it over Askarov’s glove. Not great from both, but Macklin really can’t do that. That’s just giving chances away to your opponent. I think he was going for the long bomb stretch, and he has the license to do that, being who he is, but that’s got to be 100 percent sure play. Guess it’s a reminder, on Celebrini Canada Coronation Day, the sport is humbling.
9 left: Wallstedt comes to the blueline to collect that loose puck, otherwise Toffoli breakaway. Works out, as Toffoli gets stuck deeper in zone, and Wennberg, who collects the puck from Wallstedt, can’t fire it for open net because it would be offsides.
7 left: Huge Wallstedt save on Toffoli one-timer.
OT
Wennberg-Celebrini-Orlov to start.
Huge save by Askarov on Hughes breakaway.
1 left: Sharks’ timeout, gotta keep Celebrini on the ice!
Shootout
Was that Graf’s first shootout try at this level?
Series fucking sweep baby. The Fireworks Factory goes off on NYE, let’s fucking go.
Sharks stopping Wild No.1 line of Hughes, Baldy,Kaprizof was huge. Didn’t hear their names called on radio much. Asky at times you shrug your shoulders, but came up huge in O.T.
We shouldn’t make fun of Boldy for having male pattern baldness.😜
😂
Hughes is playing defense, so he’s not on the Wild 1st. line unless you’re talking OT which I missed!!!!
True we blew a lead in the 3rd, but we didn’t choke it away. Way to earn 2 more points and continue to press towards the playoffs. Truly a team effort and that’s what we needed to beat a damn good Minnesota team. Big ups to askorov. He’s an absolute beast out there. Love seeing Logan Couture at the game! Congrats to Macklin for earning a spot on the Canadian Olympic team. Their(Canada) chances of winning a gold increasingly moved up today.
Igor and Asky for Team Russia!!
Oh wait….
Sorry all, couldn’t help myself 🤷🏻♂️
Right??? Some of the best players in the world are Russian. It’s ironic and twisted that Russia is excluded for war crimes but America and Israel get to participate in the Olympics.
Or wait, is that the reason, or was it cause they kept getting caught using performance enhancers? Either way, I’d assume all the top competitors are doing the same shit behind the scenes, and it’s just a double standard that keeps Russia out
Russias out for invading another country with the intent to absorb them into Russia. Yeah Israel should probably be out too.
Got a Will Smith jersey.
Was seriously contemplating a Sam Dickie jersey.
I think I’m gonna get an Igor jersey!
Yeah I’m getting one that says Chern ‘N Burn! 😜
If Igor keeps playing like he does, his jerseys will be worth some good dollars in the future. I think I’ll get one as well breaking my own rule of no Russian players jerseys.
😂 Why the silly rule? Also, in your view, would Nabokov count as Russian, even though he’s from Kazakhstan?
Found Warsy’s burner
What a win!!! Cherny looked great, and obviously Celebrini showed his MVP game as usual!
Proud of my call on Chernyshov, I only needed to see one game to know he wasn’t going back. But he’s way better than I thought. I will admit I even had a few doubts based on seeing him be hesitant in training camp and early with the Cuda. But he was just adjusting to his new situation, being a little tentative early on. No such issues in his first fortnight in the big leagues though, 9 pts in 7 games is silly
Will Celebrini and Chernyshov be this generation’s Crosby and Malkin?
Malkin is a high bar for this comparison, but Chernyshov is sure off to a great start.
One thing I love about him, and it’s the same with Asky, is they both play with a lot of fire and flair. Chernyshov gets pumped in goal celebrations. I think once his English improves even more, we are going to get to see what a fun player he is and he will be even more of a fan favorite. I’m glad I’m the president of his Breakaway Fan Club
It’ll probably be Celly and Misa once he turns into an everyday NHLer.
I guess Chern’N Burn didn’t take long to figure this ”NHL” thing out. Sheesh…
I was at the game today and that opening goal by Cherny was absolutely electrifying; yelling and jumping out of my seat just gobsmacked by his backhand to forehand sleight of hand w/ the Wild defender on his hip. He will not be going down; he uses that big body so well and he looks bigger than 195 lbs.
Yes! That was insane and still keep playing it over and over how he got in front of the great Q. Hughes! That’s a high class move and puck control.
Hughes isn’t that big and Chernyshov is pretty damn strong. I think he’s closer to 220 than 195, but that’s just a guess. Last week I was saying I hoped Chernyshov would be the Matthew Knies of this team. Now, I’m thinking he’s the player that Toronto wishes Knies was!
I’m going off the rails with the way this kid is playing. Get Will back on this line in a couple of weeks and it’s gonna be Harry Potter shit every night
I’m “assuming” that if Smitty is the kind of player I think he is, he is already drawing up plays in his head specifically for Igor and Igor/Mac. As much as Will fancies himself a slick playmaker (and can back that up) I have a feeling he actually ends up becoming the “shooter” on that line as Igor goes to the net and Celly just continues to be the magical animal that he is!?
Smith will be the passer still. That’s his bread and butter.
good response game after a not so good performance last game. good forecheck. #29 in the league in offensive zone time, improved from #32.
still dependent on one special player when it comes to finding ways to win a game. extraordinary how many points we have racked up considering most salary cap is not spent on playing or producing players
happy new year.
Winning in weird situations is what good teams do. I’m not saying the Sharks are “good” yet, though they sure are “fun.” But they are starting to do a lot of things that good teams do, and even some things great teams do. There’s a long way to go and a few key pieces missing, but it’s really starting to come together. As Macklin himself will point out to anyone listening, this team has already won as many games this year in the first 40 as they won last year in 82. It’s a bit inflated by a ridiculous overtime… Read more »
Wow, hash title for the game wrap, Sheng.
How about “Sharks Win In Shootout, To Sweep The Season Series Against The Wild” 🤪
We all know there are ups and downs in a hockey game.
Seriously though, I was there also. Great game! The energy in the building was off the hook. Shov isn’t going anywhere and Mac Cele….what can you say, just on another level. Oh and Asky when it counted most. I actually think he should have been one of the 3 stars of the game.
Macklin and Chernyshov = “Mac & Cheese”
Oh shit I think that’s it!
Like…..Swiss cheese? lol
Makes no sense, I thought you said Askarov. Russian names confuse me.
I had already used that for Celly and Smith because of Smiths big cheesy smile but this could work too.
Cherry cherry baby
The folks in this comment section are very knowledgeable. Do you guys and gals think sharks should pursue Owen Powers if he becomes available??
And what would that trade package look like??
The way the Sabres are playing probably means Dahlin and Powers are off the table. Would have been nice, but as sorry as that org has been, I kinda hope they do well for those poor fans
https://sabrenoise.com/nhl-analyst-predicts-buffalo-sabres-will-trade-milestone-chasing-star-01kdnhxfj4k8
How bout just for funsies?
Well that says they want a scoring winger. A high scoring one. Which winger fits the bill? I think it would take significantly more than Eklund. But maybe Eklund and 2 mid to late 1sts? There’s a tough decision coming, and Grier is going to have to figure out who is the best target, not sure if Power is a #1D, though he probably makes the team a lot better… My preference is to keep core assets and trade picks, but if the Hughes trade is any sign, that won’t be possible. Buium and Rossi are good pieces, but I… Read more »
I have my doubts about that rumour, as Power is signed for four more seasons after this one, whereas Byram is signed for just one more season after this. I don’t know if the Sharks can afford a trade for Dahlin (simply one of the best D in the league) or win a trade for Power (would cost #1D price, might not be #1D quality), and would be more interested in buying low on Byram to round out a solid D-by-committee rather than going top-heavy. But for funsies? I’d part with both firsts for Power, or maybe Musty and Edmonton’s… Read more »
Yeah I think it would be to rich for MG too. Eklund definitely involved which would be a no go for me. Josh Norris is their second line center and although he’s good, and oft injured, I think they’d ask for Misa which should be a dealbreaker . But that being said. I’d prefer Musty, edmontons 1st and our 1st. Powers isn’t as good as Quinn yet. Doesn’t quite move the needle like him and may never. In all reality I think standing pat at TDL is the right move. Oh unless we can grab Bo Byram for cheap. He’d… Read more »
Ignore this.