After a dismal performance on Friday night, the San Jose Sharks must show progress against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.

No game this early in the season is ‘must win’, but tonight should be taken as a must-improve. Yaroslav Askarov was much better in his second game of the season, minus the third goal, which is good. Alex Nedeljkovic recovered well from his early-season mistakes by doing everything he could to keep the Sharks in the game against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Nedeljkovic will likely draw the start against his old partner, Tristan Jarry. The 29-year-old will surely want to beat the team that traded him away.

But for players like Will Smith, Collin Graf, and even Dmitry Orlov, improvement needs to happen. Smith has been challenged by San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky this season.

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While we haven’t seen the step up in activity yet, the message to the Sharks’ young star is clear: Impact the game.

“A little bit perimeter. Need a little bit more from him,” Warsofsky said on Wednesday. “Needs to engage a little bit more in the hockey game.”

Smith’s line, which includes Ty Dellandrea and Collin Graf, was benched for the latter part of the first period on Friday by Warsofsky.

Warsofsky on why the Graf-Dellandrea-Smith line got benched: “We don’t have the puck, and they’re leaving the zone. Can’t play winning hockey that way.”

Says “they got better” after the benching— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) October 18, 2025

Dmitry Orlov has struggled during the start of his tenure with the Sharks. Part of that can be attributed to a new defensive system and rotating d-partners. But an NHL veteran of 14 seasons (871 games) needs to prove he can adapt to different situations.

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Orlov has four points this season, all assists, but has struggled in the defensive zone at times. He took two bad penalties due to being out-skated to a puck. A tripping call in the first period led to Nick Schmaltz’s opening goal.

While his holding penalty in the second period didn’t lead to a goal against, it was slightly concerning to see Orlov get beaten by a forechecker to negate an icing. After he was passed, he used his free hand to grab the Mammoth player, which was an easy call for any NHL official.

The Pittsburgh Penguins could be punching above their weight at 3-2-0, but on paper, the Sharks have a better roster. Slow starts have been a theme for Team Teal this season, and with a back-to-back with travel, a good start is critical.

Puck drop is at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on NBCSCA and heard on the Sharks Audio Network.

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The lineup for Saturday’s game is unknown, but Michael Misa could return to the lineup for his second NHL game. Warsofsky is scheduled to have his pregame media availability at 4:30 p.m. PT.

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