San Jose Sharks
Sharks Fight Back (Literally) Down 3, But Lose 6-5

The San Jose Sharks welcome the Nashville Predators into SAP Center…two nights after they blew a 5-1 lead in Nashville, en route to a 7-5 Predators victory.
Walker Duehr and Mario Ferraro and Henry Thrun and Fabian Zetterlund and Macklin Celebrini scored, but the Sharks lost 6-5.
Period 1
2 in: That’s a penalty all day. San Jose Sharks off to a good start, then Zetterlund, maybe going for puck on rim, but trips the forechecker McCarron. Not a good penalty if he thought he was going to get away with that trip.
Nyquist goal: Askarov can only do so much. Askarov with a couple big PK saves to start, but then Preds pick apart Sharks, Novak slides it to open man Nyquist.
Novak goal: Everybody loses Novak in front. Rutta, doubling up shot with Thrun? Celebrini? Ugly. Re-watch, Rutta is sliding over to maybe take Pred behind net because Thrun is engaged net front. Bang-bang shot, Celebrini reacts to rebound, but can’t corral it, Novak jumps on it. So I get that breakdown a little more.
Forsberg goal: When it rains, it pours. Long deflection, you probably want Askarov to pick it up. Deflections are tough obviously though.
Smith 10-9 over Kunin. Kunin trying to get it going.
3 fights, non-simultaneous, before the faceoff.
Have never seen that.
Kunin vs. Smith before the draw, then Goodrow vs. McCarron, then Dellandrea vs. L'Heureux.
The entire #SJSharks 4th line sends itself to the penalty box in a desperate attempt to get the team going
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) January 24, 2025
Well, the crowd is into it, at least. Does energy translate from crowd to players? I think it can, but we’re about to find out.
Duehr goal: There you go! Third line had a nice shift right before, good possession, Wennberg pass for Duehr chance. That good shift was off Duehr forecheck, Kovalenko pounced on the turnover created by Duehr. Then Duehr in front, deflects the point shot.
7 left: Fourth line out of the box, Goodrow sets up Kunin for Grade-A. Small crowd would’ve gone berserk had that went in. Good shift regardless, and you like the fourth line behind hard on the puck there. Hitting and establishing body position with the puck. There was F-you on that shift.
5 left: Sharks will like Marchessault losing his stick chasing Celebrini there.
Ferraro goal: Love that Mario celly! Love or hate him, he bleeds Sharks, you know he was pumped that went in. Starts off a beaut Smith to Granlund to Zetterlund rush, just outstanding, no resistance from blueline to blueline from Preds. San Jose Sharks back in the game.
3 left: Not a great follow-up shift, Josi has a wraparound chance, but Dellandrea able to kill the play with a one-on-one battle win over Novak. Like that. Duehr’s acquisition, you hope, lights a fire under Dellandrea. Dellandrea’s daily line-up spot in question with Duehr’s presence?
2 left: Gorgeous spin-o-rama set-up from Granlund to Smith. Crossbar? Yup.
1 left: Sharks lose Novak in slot. Post? Sharks have found their swagger, but they still have to play basic hockey.
Period 2
Forsberg goal: Credit to the fourth line for that energy lift in the opening frame, full credit there, but not a great shift here. They got caught out there for minute and a half, exhausted by the end of it. Walman and Ceci couldn’t kill the play either. Once Nashville established OZ possession, it was spin cycle. Don’t love how Askarov played it at the end either, looked like he got faked out as Forsberg started going around the net, opening up the other side for an easy put-in.
If you want to micro-manage coaching decisions, this might it. While fourth line may have early second period start because of their sacrifice in the opening frame — argument for that — they wouldn’t be my line of choice to keep opening frame momentum going.
5 in: Sharks have a chance to exit, but hard Goodrow pass clanks off Dellandrea skating out. Another stretch where Sharks are on their heels.
Granlund penalty: Big kill for the Sharks.
Stamkos goal: One-timer shot leaks behind Stamkos, Walman can’t tie him up. Ouch. That’s gotta cut down the spirits after a big first.
10 left: Goodrow draws the penalty, but it was after another defending shift for that line. Not sure the answer, they seem to miss Sturm’s straight-ahead speed and faceoff prowess. Kunin has had good games on the fourth line too.
9 left: Celebrini frustrated after that power play shift, bangs his stick against the glass. A lot of near-misses and lack of overall execution from him and Toffoli and others there.
Thrun goal: Beaut Wennberg set-up. Kunin does good job getting in Annunen’s eyes.
Zetterlund goal: Credit the Sharks for pushing back. Crowd gasped when Granlund made that move through Blankenburg’s legs. Then incredible Smith pass to Zetterlund. Well, great vision at least, that pass was deflected favorably to Zetterlund. But it worked.
Cole Smith penalty: Well-deserved match penalty for Smith, hope Dellandrea OK. San Jose Sharks must score here.
Match penalty to Cole Smith for an illegal hit to the head on Ty Dellandrea. Also have offsetting roughing penalties. #SJSharks to the PP.#Preds 5 #TheFutureIsTeal 4 pic.twitter.com/8BwMgt6DiI
— TEAL TOWN USA – A San Jose Sharks Podcast (@TEALTOWNUSA) January 24, 2025
Celebrini goal: Granlund does a good job pulling away attention from slot, then finding Celebrini.
PP1 moved puck well, but one pass too many a couple times. At least they got the goal, but they should’ve tested Annunen more on the major.
Period 3
Dellandrea out for the game.
Thrun penalty: Gut check time. Funny moment, Rutta thought it was his penalty, he went to the box without much issue. Both clearly doing something they shouldn’t haha.
1 in: Walman might’ve got away with one on PK forecheck, but he forced a turnover. Maybe banking on refs won’t call the extra infraction to put Sharks down two men.
3 in: Good quiet professional Toffoli play.He has trouble corralling puck with Preds swarming around in NZ, but when he does settle it, he doesn’t just blast it into zone, he lays out a soft pass that Eklund can skate into. He excels at connecting plays.
4 in: Walman and Forsberg pushing at each other away from puck, along the bench.
Goodrow penalty: Whether Goodrow agrees or not, bad time and place for a penalty. Forsberg goes down easy? Doesn’t matter, another big kill here.
Svechkov goal: L’Heureux great screen, Askarov couldn’t see a thing. Svechkov picked a corner, perfectly-placed shot too. Askarov’s Milwaukee boys did him in there.
10 in: Kovalenko has some of those traits like Toffoli, cool and calm plays along the wall. Saw it there, and he definitely can learn from Tyler there.
Gotta rewatch, Sissons stick checks Walman, who had skated ahead, thought he had the loose puck? If so, pro play by Sissons there.
Rutta penalty: Tough timing there, relatively unforced error. Know there’s some forecheck pressure, but gotta make that play. Another big kill.
On PK, nice individual effort by Granlund to draw a call for even-up. Picks off play on Nashville entry, then his 1-on-3 attack gets a Stamkos’s slash.
6 left: Granlund with a highlight reel pass to spring Celebrini for PP breakaway, big stop, but no whistle, Sharks keep pouring it on. Big saves. Before that, Smith had a one-on-one with Annunen. Granlund has been marvelous tonight, one of his better overall games in his Sharks’ career, I think.