Toffoli Scores Last-Minute Goal, But Sharks Lose 2-1 in OT

The San Jose Sharks welcome the Vancouver Canucks into SAP Center.

#Canucks Thatcher Demko – Career vs Sharks

12-0-0 Record
2.24 GAA
.922 Save %

— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) February 7, 2025

Tyler Toffoli scored, but the Sharks lost in OT 2-1.

Period 1

Really loose start for the San Jose Sharks, Thompson gets caught up in NZ, chasing check, 2-on-1 evolves behind him, Boeser chance.

1 in: Then Poturalski tosses an exit pass from DZ wall to a Canuck up the middle. Vanecek seeing good chances early in his first game since December.

4 in: Nice patience by Zetterlund there, wait a beat with puck at blueline, then spring breakaway for Smith, Ferraro follow, Demko comes up large.

Then Graf with a gorgeous backhanded pass, diagonal across NZ, to Kunin, who feeds Goodrow in slot. Kind of a play you get benched if it doesn’t connect, but this one connected and Kunin was very open.

7 in: Looks like Thompson switched up with Liljegren.

8 in: Graf first-choice PK’er with Goodrow, that’s impressive for a rookie. Out there all of two minutes, there was a Hronek post, but pretty good job. Did a nice job hampering Pettersson in the corner.

10 in: That Bissonnette clip eviscerating (fairly) Bedard, don’t think you’ll see Celebrini in one of those. Stops up in front of Vanecek there, ties up Sherwood’s stick.

9 left: Graf stops slot pass.

8 left: Small things matter. Poturalski has time and space by himself in DZ slot, bricks exit pass to Zetterlund. Instead of easy exit, Sharks hemmed in for longer.

6 left: Good example of Celebrini’s ability to take puck off the wall, kicks it to himself in an instant, soft pass to Eklund, chance. That chance doesn’t happen if Celebrini not in the middle of it.

Good hit by Goodrow, Garland from behind but in open ice, almost leads to a chance.

4 left: Celebrini makes defensive plays on Chytil and O’Connor, pretty pretty good.

3 left: Good idea by Thrun, stretch to Walman, he’s open, play fast, but too much mustard. Icing. Execution, execution, execution.

Overall solid period for the Sharks. After a skittish start, they defended better and managed puck better too.

Period 2

1 in: Good puck protection coming out of zone by Poturalski, then he gets a long shot off. Sherwood was all over him.

2 in: Good soft exit pass from Duehr to Ferraro, under some duress. Good OZ shift by that line. Late in the shift, Walman razzle-dazzles Sherwood high. Think he’s had a good game at both ends.

4 in: Eklund not strong with puck in middle of ice after good Thompson exit pass, O’Connor forecheck forces turnover. Then, I think Thrun a tad slow to rotate over to O’Connor crashing net by himself, big Vanecek save.

6 in: Good play by Mukhamadullin, shot-pass off end boards, creates chaos in front. Another solid fourth line shift.

Walman penalty: Not much, but Walman didn’t need to do that with Garland already down. Undisciplined. Celebrini had made a good defensive play, taking it from Garland.

10 in: Celebrini stays with Hoglander in DZ corner. Can do a whole article on his defensive game today if I wanted to.

8 in: Then Celebrini flips it to Smith, good defensive clear, and Smith catches it. That was a tough catch, breakaway chance.

Mukhamadullin does a nice job cutting off Hronek attacking net one-on-one.

5 left: One on one, Celebrini just shouldered Chytil and took the puck. That’s a 6-foot-2 25-year-old man.

2 left: Love that from Celebrini, very long shift, but stays on because Sharks had some solid OZ possession, second it’s a 50-50, he’s off.

1 left: Duehr prevents an exit with his physicality along the wall. Dellandrea and Grundstrom too, a lot of physicality and on top of puck tonight. Love to see it.

End of period DZ faceoff, huge, Kunin-Goodrow-Graf-Walman-Ferraro. Telling deployment. And they draw a penalty!

Pretty impressed by the San Jose Sharks’ effort so far tonight, hard hockey, they’re hanging in there.

Period 3

3 in: Poturalski does a nice job making life hard for Pettersson (40). Vancouver better hope that he’s playing hurt or something, commitment they’ve made to him.

5 in: Duehr finds Dellandrea on rush, good work.

Celebrini penalty: Oh no, not sure what he was doing there. I assume a flip pass for the rush, but too much mustard. He can’t believe it. Scouts up here joke to me he’s a bust. Zetterlund skates by and gives him a stick tap, that’s nice. Zetterlund not even on the kill.

Joshua goal: As the kill ends, bad angle Suter shot, Joshua flashes in front of Vanecek, gets it. So smart by both Canucks, and unfortunately, Thompson can’t block it.

10 in: Grundstrom with a great chance on rebound in front, Demko flashes the pad.

7 left: Nice job by much smaller Eklund to dig into Myers there, ward him off and win puck.

San Jose Sharks deserve a point here, they haven’t backed down since Joshua goal.

5 left: If Toffoli didn’t have to dust off that hard cross-slot Celebrini pass…big Chytil save.

Then off draw, Celebrini does a masterful job escaping Chytil in corner, goes high, drops it to Ferraro.

3 left: PP1 going, 40 seconds left on PP, I might’ve called the timeout here. Gotta give PP2 a chance I guess.

Shows what I know, 30-second PP2 power play, draw, PP1 out again, pull your goalie and you save your TO.

Toffoli goal: Smith, Zetterlund, and Eklund pile on when puck dumped in, force turnover. Very nice, well deserved.

OT

Celebrini-Eklund-Walman to start.

Not sure about that call for a penalty shot there.