SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks’ season-opening game against the Florida Panthers felt like a playoff game.
Fights, scrums, big hits, and some impressive goals in a back-and-forth game made the Shark Tank the loudest it has been in a long time, maybe since the team’s last postseason appearance in 2019.
Then the roof came off in overtime.
With 1:46 left in overtime, defenseman Luca Cagnoni took a pass from Will Smith and beat Panthers goalie Akira Schmid five-hole for his first career NHL goal, and a 4-3 Sharks win before an announced sellout crowd of 17,435 at SAP Center.
Cagnoni, who became the first player in Sharks history to score his first career NHL goal in overtime, also assisted on Smith’s second-period power-play goal and finished with 21:17 of ice time, second most among all Sharks defensemen.
“Pretty unreal. Probably the best goal of my life,” Cagnoni said. “Hard to write one better than an overtime winner. People dream of playing (in the NHL). I feel like I reenacted that a couple times, but (it’s an) unreal feeling.”
Smith also scored twice, and goalie Yaroslav Askarov finished with 23 saves to lead the team to its first season-opening win since 2021.
The Sharks coughed up a 3-0 lead, allowing a power-play goal to Eetu Luostarinen with 2:50 left in the second period before giving up third-period goals to Luostarinen and Matthew Tkachuk 17 seconds apart. Instead of folding, though, the Sharks withstood another Panthers push and held on for an impressive victory, despite some miscues.
“Maybe in years prior, we would start freaking out a little bit and kind of get down in the dumps,” Smith said of blowing a three-goal lead. “But this year, there’s no quit, and we got the job finished.”
“I think we started a little flat there in the third,” Celebrini said. “We knew they were going to come on and push, so I think we did a good job weathering it.”
Macklin Celebrini finished with three assists, including one on Cagnoni’s goal. He had the primary assist on both of Smith’s goals, including his power-play goal at the 10:37 mark of the second period that gave the Sharks a 3-0 lead.
The Panthers lost their captain, center Aleksander Barkov, to an unsightly injury with 11:53 left in the second period. He was battling for the puck with Zack Ostapchuk and Darnell Nurse in the corner to the left of the Sharks’ net when he lost his balance after a push from Nurse and fell awkwardly to the ice, with his lower left leg bending the wrong way.
Panthers coach Paul Maurice said Barkov will be re-evaluated after the team gets to Southern California on Friday. Florida plays Anaheim on Sunday and Los Angeles on Tuesday.
Barkov was playing his second game of the year after he missed all of last season after tearing his ACL and MCL during the 2025 training camp.
San Jose Sharks’ Will Smith (2) is congratulated by San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini (71) and San Jose Sharks’ Nolan Allan (5) on his short-handed goal against the Florida Panthers in the second period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Zack Ostapchuk (63) fights for the puck against Florida Panthers’ Lars Eller (20) in the first period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Mason Marchment (27) takes a shot against the Florida Panthers in the first period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov (30) makes a save against the Florida Panthers in the second period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Mason Marchment (27), second from right, is congratulated on this goal against the Florida Panthers in the first period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini (71) takes a shot against Florida Panthers’ Niko Mikkola (77) in the first period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Luca Cagnoni (42) is congratulated on his game winning goal by San Jose Sharks’ Collin Graf (51) against the Florida Panthers in the overtime period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Florida Panthers’ Niko Mikkola (77) was called for a roughing penalty against San Jose Sharks’ Kiefer Sherwood (44) in the third period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Michael Misa (77) takes a shot against the Florida Panthers in the third period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Barclay Goodrow (23) scuffles with Florida Panthers’ Seth Jones (3) in the first period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
The San Jose Sharks scuffle with the Florida Panthers in the second period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov (30) blocks a shot against Florida Panthers’ Sam Reinhart (13) in the second period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini (71) takes a shot against the Florida Panthers in the third period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks fans celebrate the Sharks’ 4-3 win over the Florida Panthers in the overtime period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Collin Graf (51) takes a shot against Florida Panthers’ Seth Jones (3) in the third period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks mascot S.J. Sharkie waves a flag after their 4-3 win over the Florida Panthers in the overtime period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini (71) is introduced before their game against the Florida Panthers at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
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San Jose Sharks’ Will Smith (2) is congratulated by San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini (71) and San Jose Sharks’ Nolan Allan (5) on his short-handed goal against the Florida Panthers in the second period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
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Takeaways from Thursday’s game.
A FEISTY TEST
From the first period, the game had an edge, as the Panthers went at Celebrini at least twice, first at 7:40 of the first period when Barkov and Brady Tkachuk both hit and knocked down the Sharks captain.
Right as Celebrini hit the ice, defenseman Jacob Trouba jumped in and cross-checked Tkachuk before the two dropped the gloves. Celebrini later knocked down Barkov.
Shortly afterward, Panthers center Anton Lundell hit Celebrini from behind into the boards, causing another ruckus near center ice close to the teams’ benches.
Just 45 seconds after the Sharks killed a cross-checking penalty to Darnell Nurse, Marchment gave the Sharks the lead. With Celebrini and Smith near the Panthers crease, Marchment’s shot got through traffic and past Akira Schmid for the first goal of the Sharks’ season.
This was a good test for the Sharks, who feel they are on the cusp of breaking through and making the playoffs for the first time since 2019. They had a measuring stick in Florida, Stanley Cup champions in 2024 and 2025.
ASKAROV DELIVERS
Askarov looked calm in two preseason games; the question was whether he could keep it up to start the regular season. He mostly answered the bell, with the goal allowed to Luostarinen coming after a couple of crazy bounces in front of the net.
In two preseason starts, Askarov went 1-0-1 with a stellar .942 save percentage. Askarov was at his best on the penalty kill, making eight saves.
TOO MANY PENALTIES
The Sharks got caught playing the Panthers’ no-holds-barred style at times, and were shorthanded a staggering six times in the first two periods.
The Sharks killed the first five penalties, thanks mostly to Askarov. But they also got three shots on net while on the penalty kill, and scored once when Smith took a pass from Celebrini on a 2-on-1 and fired a shot past Schmid for a 2-0 Sharks lead at the 5:52 mark of the second.
The goal came near the end of a double minor penalty on Kiefer Sherwood for high-sticking Barkov.