NASHVILLE \u2014 Remember, this has been a successful season for the San Jose Sharks.<\/p>\n
Not many would\u2019ve predicted, in the summer, that the Sharks would be playing meaningful hockey in March. I certainly didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s cold comfort, after San Jose lost 6-3 to the Nashville Predators. In the biggest game of the year \u2014 the Preds own the last wild card spot in the West \u2014 the Sharks were down 5-1 after the first period.<\/p>\n
San Jose has now lost five in a row \u2014 all the biggest games of the season, in succession \u2014 basically playing itself out of the playoff berth that they were in control of on Mar. 14.<\/p>\n
The Sharks are now seven points behind the Predators in the West, four teams to leapfrog, 13 games to go. Of course, they\u2019re not officially eliminated, they still have to try to win games, priority No. 1, until they are. But I can look ahead.<\/p>\n
Here were my three takeaways, two things that must improve over the summer, and one thing to look forward to.<\/p>\n
More Mature Hockey?<\/p>\n
Hopefully, this experience in a playoff-like cauldron will teach the San Jose Sharks to value the puck more.<\/p>\n
Four of Nashville\u2019s five first period goals came directly off San Jose turnovers: Filip Forsberg\u2019s 1-0 strike was off an unforced Sam Dickinson bobble, Matthew Wood\u2019s 2-1 blast was off a telegraphed Michael Misa pass, Roman Josi\u2019s 3-1 dagger was off an Alex Nedeljkovic turnover, and Brady Skjei 5-1 deathblow was off a Mario Ferraro error.<\/p>\n
There were defensive coverage problems, other turnovers, and unremarkable goaltending, too, so it wasn\u2019t simply about puck management.<\/p>\n
But getting down 5-1 started with carelessness with the puck, that may have sprung from the moment being too large for the young Sharks.<\/p>\n
Macklin Celebrini and head coach Ryan Warsofsky, recently, both admitted that San Jose was \u201cgripping sticks tight\u201d during their recent skid, and that continued tonight.<\/p>\n
This is something that the Sharks can certainly learn from.<\/p>\n
San Jose did stabilize their game after this disastrous opening frame, playing a more direct, shot-heavy style, finishing the game how they should\u2019ve started it, but it was already too late.<\/p>\n
Maybe for their next \u201cbiggest game of the year\u201d, they\u2019ll start the game right?<\/p>\n
Improve the Defense<\/p>\n
The San Jose Sharks have two defensemen signed beyond this season, Dmitry Orlov and Dickinson, and one RFA under their control, Shakir Mukhamadullin.<\/p>\n
This unit needs everything, more puck-moving, more physicality, more killing plays.<\/p>\n
There could be answers found within San Jose\u2019s four UFA blueliners, most likely Mario Ferraro or Vincent Desharnais, but the Sharks must upgrade dramatically, on the whole, beyond their current group.<\/p>\n
It may seem unfair to put just one position in the crosshairs, but up front and in goal, there\u2019s reason to believe that San Jose is pretty stocked with young and improving NHL-ready talent, like Celebrini, Misa, Will Smith, Igor Chernyshov, William Eklund, Collin Graf, Zack Ostapchuk, and Yaroslav Askarov.<\/p>\n
Every team in the NHL is probably envious of that collection of U23 talent, and you feel decent about GM Mike Grier standing pretty pat up front and in goal over the summer, and mostly betting on internal growth.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s not, frankly, the case with the organization on defense. Besides Dickinson, the back-end lacks blue chip young talent.<\/p>\n
Obviously, that type of talent is hard to acquire, so the Sharks may simply have to focus on improving their bridge defensemen.<\/p>\n
Either way, the forwards and goaltending need help to maximize their potential.<\/p>\n
More Chernyshov<\/p>\n
The San Jose Sharks appear to have found a keeper in 2024 second-round pick Chernyshov.<\/p>\n
Chernyshov should break camp with the Sharks next year.<\/p>\n
In his first full game back in the NHL since Jan. 19, Chernyshov flashed why he could be a perfect complement in the future for linemates, Celebrini and Smith.<\/p>\n
Will Smith scores a huge goal to cut the lead down to three pic.twitter.com\/CHBiRy54X2<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) March 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n All season, Celebrini, who doesn\u2019t yet have the help that the rest of the NHL\u2019s superstars have, has been arguably the most marked man in the league.<\/p>\n Chernyshov (92), as he has often in his brief time with the Sharks, commands the attention of three defenders, freeing up Smith (2) to put in the loose puck.<\/p>\n Chernyshov should create time and space for his linemates all next year, whoever they are, which will only make them better. His 6-foot-2 frame and speed is a contrast to the smaller Smith\u2019s more cerebral game, he\u2019s capable of taking some of the puck-carrying load off of Celebrini\u2019s shoulders, and he plays fast enough to keep up with his linemates\u2019 high-end pace.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a man out there,\u201d Warsofsky said of the 20-year-old winger.<\/p>\n Alex Nedeljkovic<\/p>\n Nedeljkovic, on what happened to #SJSharks<\/a> in first period: “We didn’t show up, we didn’t come ready to play\u2026you can’t take a shift off, two shifts off, let alone a whole period in this league.”<\/p>\n \u2014 Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) March 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Sam Dickinson<\/p>\n Dickinson: “Stakes are high. Emotions are high. You don’t want to make a bad play, turn over the puck, make a mistake, miss a read, or miss a mark on your guys. Definitely, it’s intense\u2026maybe that leads to gripping the stick a little too much, playing a little too tense.”<\/p>\n \u2014 Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) March 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Will Smith<\/p>\n Ryan Warsofsky<\/p>\n Warsofsky did reserve praise for Chernyshov: “He was good. I thought he was really good. He’s a man out there.”<\/p>\n Also, I asked him what Dickinson could learn from tonight: “It’s not just Sam. It’s our whole team.”<\/p>\n \u2014 Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) March 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Warsofsky says #SJSharks<\/a> have to play simpler north-south hockey: “That’s how every team plays, and we haven’t figured that out, what success looks like in the National Hockey League and how you have to play this time of year, especially. We’re struggling to figure that out.”<\/p>\n \u2014 Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) March 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Warsofsky says there was no consideration to pull Nedeljkovic and put in Askarov cold, because he’s coming off injury.<\/p>\n As for not using his timeout in the 1st, he felt the TV timeouts were sufficient to try to address problems<\/p>\n \u2014 Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) March 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t