The San Jose Sharks are still learning to win\u2026but they\u2019re winning while they\u2019re doing it.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a new feeling for the Sharks, after a 5-2 victory over Eastern Conference power New Jersey Devils.<\/p>\n
On the positive side, San Jose is playing the most consistently competitive hockey that they\u2019ve played in years, perhaps since the first David Quinn season, pre-Timo Meier trade, or the last Bob Boughner campaign.<\/p>\n
They\u2019ve played, including the 3-0 Pittsburgh Penguins\u2019 loss, seven straight games that they could\u2019ve won. I\u2019m not sure the last time that you could say that in recent franchise history.<\/p>\n
Save for the 3-1 defeat at New Jersey last week, they\u2019ve been clearly or arguably the better team in the six other contests.<\/p>\n
This might be the best two-week stretch of Sharks hockey since 2022-23.<\/p>\n
Five positives stand out in this recent stretch of play:<\/p>\n
Macklin Celebrini, even when he isn\u2019t dominating games offensively, is making an impact on the other side of the puck, such as his third period backcheck to negate a possible Nico Hischier-led 2-on-1. And he still had a gorgeous assist to Will Smith. I think he\u2019s been playing at a superstar level. Can the 19-year-old keep it up?
\nI would guess the second line\u2019s recent offensive explosion is not sustainable. William Eklund has three goals and two assists, Alex Wennberg has two goals and two assists, and Philipp Kurashev has two goals in three assists in their last three games. Wennberg and Kurashev are more known quantities, so I don\u2019t think they keep it up. Maybe the younger Kurashev? However, it\u2019s exciting to see that Eklund, just 23, appears to have taken a step in his development into a bona fide top-six winger.
\nThey aren\u2019t perfect, but the Sharks\u2019 off-season veteran defensive additions, Dmitry Orlov and John Klingberg, have added a lot of puck poise to San Jose\u2019s blueline, which was GM Mike Grier\u2019s intention. Breakouts, generally, have been far more effective, from blueline to blueline, adding offense and improving defense. Orlov has also represented the most physical and best all-around Sharks blueliner in a long time.
\nOn a nightly basis, San Jose\u2019s top power play unit of Celebrini, Eklund, Will Smith, Tyler Toffoli, and either Klingberg or Orlov have been a threat. While they didn\u2019t score tonight in two chances, they\u2019ve usually been momentum-builders.
\nThe Sharks\u2019 fourth line, usually Barclay Goodrow and Ryan Reaves with a rotating cast of centers, has been Ryan Warsofsky\u2019s go-to group when he wants San Jose to play a more basic game. They don\u2019t score a lot, but they also don\u2019t give up a lot, and led by Goodrow\u2019s renewed skating, have set a genuine tone for the team with their physicality, persistent forechecking, and defensive smarts.<\/p>\n
So that\u2019s what I\u2019ve liked about the Sharks in the last seven games. What I didn\u2019t like tonight? San Jose, up 3-1 going into the middle frame, tried their best to let New Jersey back into the game.<\/p>\n
For the first 14:06 of the middle frame, the Devils outshot the Sharks 12-4. The biggest culprit, according to Warsofsky?<\/p>\n
\u201cCame down to our puck play. Certain neutral zone puck play was not good against their top-six, they\u2019ll make you pay,\u201d he said, \u201cand Ned made some huge saves in that 15 minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s how I saw it, in my San Jose Sharks<\/a>\u2019 game notes. Just in that stretch, I saw Reaves struggle to get it out of the DZ, Klingberg turn it over behind Alex Nedeljkovic, Jeff Skinner fail to get it deep, Wennberg cough up the puck on a hope NZ pass, and Tyler Toffoli ice it on a long bomb pass to Smith, when he appeared to have Celebrini close to him for the easy exit.<\/p>\n Your\u2019e not always going to be perfect, but in the aggregate, that\u2019s losing hockey. In that respect, the Sharks were fortunate to get to that point of the game with a two-goal lead, before Smith and Toffoli gave San Jose a commanding 5-1 lead to end the period.<\/p>\n One day, they\u2019ll get better at that, reading the room, playing basic hockey when it\u2019s time for that, pushing the action when it\u2019s time for that. But for now, let\u2019s enjoy some of the best San Jose Sharks hockey, I know, faint praise, that we\u2019ve seen in a long time.<\/p>\n Ryan Warsofsky<\/p>\n I asked Warsofsky if he had good news for Dickinson to share with us, said, \u201cNo, not yet\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) October 31, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Warsofsky, on how the San Jose Sharks played a more mature third period than in recent games:<\/p>\n They score the power play goal there. And there was not much panic.<\/p>\n We just kept playing and started getting our legs back into the game with us. When you\u2019ve coughed up some leads, that\u2019s what happens, you get put on your heels a little bit. I\u2019m glad that we matured in a sense of how to play in that situation.<\/p>\n Warsofsky, on how the Sharks took back the game in the second period, after the Devils controlled most of the period:<\/p>\n Came down to our puck play. Certain neutral zone puck play was not good against their top-six, they\u2019ll make you pay, and Ned made some huge saves in that 15 minutes, and we capitalize on the other end of it.<\/p>\n Reaves has a lower-body injury, re-evaluated tomorrow<\/p>\n \u2014 Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) October 31, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Warsofsky, on Wennberg line:<\/p>\n Yeah, that line\u2019s been really good. Wennberg, Kursh, and Eky, we\u2019re kind of using them against top lines with Hughes and Hischier, kind of bounce them around a little bit. Wenny\u2019s been good at shutting down some really good centers here in these first 11 games.<\/p>\n Alex Nedeljkovic<\/p>\n Nedeljkovic, on what\u2019s changed recently for the Sharks:<\/p>\n You can see it these last couple of games, we\u2019ve come out pretty strong. Come on, really fast. We got the first goal, obviously not the Kings game, but we clawed our way back from a three-goal deficit there. Dominated that game against LA.<\/p>\n We\u2019re in games. There haven\u2019t been a lot of games this year where you look at, maybe like one or two, where it\u2019s we didn\u2019t really have it that night, and we didn\u2019t really have a shot\u2026<\/p>\n The firepower we have up front and the way that the guys are playing and the confidence that they have, the swagger that they have, it\u2019ll go a long way for us, so we just got to keep playing with that. And honestly, just keep having fun.<\/p>\n William Eklund<\/p>\n Eklund joked, when I asked how #SJSharks<\/a> regained momentum after the Devils controlled most of the 2nd period, “Score two goals.” <\/p>\n William has seen A LOT of losing in the two previous seasons, it’s nice to see him with a big smile after a win. Not been the norm post-game<\/p>\n