Unhappy New Year: Sharks End 2024 on 8-Game Losing Streak

The San Jose Sharks welcome the Philadelphia Flyers into SAP Center on New Year’s Eve.

The Flyers, however, shut out the Sharks 4-0.

Period 1

3 in: Tough shift for Ferraro, multiple occasions to get it out clean, has trouble. Most glaring was a short between-the-legs pass to Sturm, fine in principle, but Sturm couldn’t handle it. So important for that first pass in DZ or NZ to be something the receiver can handle. It’s been a tough season for him, hasn’t quite found the chemistry with Liljegren yet.

Seeler goal: I was surprised that the Sharks went with Georgiev, just recognizing how well Askarov played against the Flames. I get that there’s a balance insofar as you need both goalies to be playing, but one is playing clearly better than the other, and you do need a win for the psyche of the team. This isn’t all a Warsofsky decision too, buck stops with him, but Speer should be involved too. Get the team that much-needed win, then go back to Georgiev, I say. Hope he proves me wrong rest of the game, but that’s a really bad goal he just gave up. And the San Jose Sharks are obviously not the Colorado Avalanche, they’re not built to withstand really any hiccups in their goaltending.

Couple of Georgiev’s early puck-moving decisions were questionable too, his first pass of the game, completely missed the target and about five minutes in, accurate pass to Ceci, but forecheck was right on top of Ceci, almost a suicide pass, Ceci just had to backhand it out and give up the puck. So perhaps a sign of not being 100 percent locked in right now. Georgiev has a track record, so I think he’s got good hockey in him, but maybe not now at the moment. Like I said, it’s just one goal. So hopefully, he forgets it, and shuts me (and the rest of the fanbase) up tonight.

Celebrini has hit a post and just had a shot leak through Ersson, almost in.

7 left: Kunin backhand, shortie breakaway. Foerster forces him to backhand. Ersson save. San Jose Sharks haven’t scored a short-handed goal since Nov. 20 in Dallas. Only two this year. Not a lot of chances either, I wonder when Celebrini starts to play there?

Frost no-goal: His stick gets free, Ceci was the last man on him, couldn’t tie him up, but…

No goal on offsides, #SJSharks video coaches save another goal. Arguable MVPs of this team the last couple years

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) January 1, 2025

Looks like Mukhamadullin-Liljegren-Kostin-Kunin-Smith was your PP2. Started Granlund-Celebrini-Toffoli-Wennberg-Zetterlund.

2 left: Wennberg to Toffoli off the OZ faceoff win, post. Sharks have had good chances, and Ersson has not been exactly bulletproof this year.

Period 2

2 in: Hard defensive shift for Celebrini, matched up against Konecny. Good battles.

4 in: Quick up by Wennberg to Kovalenko to Toffoli, clear chance in the slot, big save.

5 in: Kostin comes in forecheck hard, crunch, big hit, like. Sharks stringing together good shifts.

8 in: Granlund orchestrating with puck down low as Kostin and Kunin try to establish space. Feel like he’s had a strong game tonight after a little bit of a recent struggle, not as sharp.

9 in: Farabee says no to that Smith connection to Celebrini in NZ. Too telegraphed a pass there, I think. Then Smith and Michkov come together in a big collision in a loose puck battle, entertaining! Smith hits Michkov hard, but Smith bounces off him too.

Poehling goal: Tough after a good Sharks start to the period. Liljegren got caught on wrong side of point shot rebound, Poehling eats it up, easy putback.

Konecny goal: Well, that was fast. Too easy. Cross-slot seam for Konecny one-timer right after draw, no chance for Georgiev.

3 left: Big Georgiev save on the breakaway, on Poehling. Ceci got caught in no man’s land, Kunin was in slot for one-timer but blocked, puck went up. But I think that’s on Ceci more though, skate with the guy who got behind you instead of trying to play the pass. Trust Thrun to take the pass, he was there. There’s that trying to do other people’s jobs when you’re struggling thing.

1 in: Whoa what was that move that Celebrini made in the high slot? Spins, avoids touching the puck, lets puck’s momentum reach him on the spin. Credit to Konecny for not falling for it, he was right there defensively.

My feel is Sharks have played OK, but the big mistakes, Georgiev on first goal, Konecny power play goal, killing them. Natural Stat Trick does indicate that Flyers have 8-1 High-Danger 5-on-5 edge. Sharks have had some slot chances, but can see not a lot of dirty net crashing chances. Obvious weakness of this team, one of many, a little too perimeter. San Jose has had a lot of sound and fury on the outside, but need more.

Period 3

Ceci penalty: Foerster’s own stick hits himself, granted Ceci lifted Foerster’s stick, but not a penalty.

Zamula goal: Ref misses a hook on Celebrini in front, and Zamula pass seems to go off Mukhamadullin in front.

9 in: Not Kostin’s finest effort tonight, just not so sharp. Adventurous shift there, not careful with the puck.

7 left: Outstanding 4-on-4 shift from Celebrini, and Rutta made a great feed to him all alone in front too. Haven’t seen a lot of that, Sharks right in the kitchen. Kolosov on top of it.

5 left: Foerster just took it from Mukhamadullin high there, just bodied him off the puck.