Kurashev Wins It! Sharks Topple Avs 3-2 in OT

The San Jose Sharks welcome the Colorado Avalanche to SAP Center.

Macklin Celebrini and Philipp Kurashev (twice) scored, and the Sharks won 3-2 in OT!

Period 1

Necas goal: Sharks lose draw, can’t take puck off Avs circling them, Necas off Liljegren’s skate.

2 in: 6-0 Avs shots, San Jose Sharks need to wake up.

Not a strong shift to start for Desharnais. Mukhamadullin made a subtle exit pass to him, but twice, Vinny couldn’t advance it.

3 in: Sharks off-kilter. Klingberg wins puck, has good poise to wait for Smith to open up and get into receiving position. Smith gets it and fires a pass into Toffoli’s skates, who didn’t look ready for it. That’s an example of playing too fast, I see that as on Smith.

5 in: Really good fourth line shift there, restores order. Goodrow draws a penalty, Dellandrea and Giles on their toes on the forecheck.

Usually there isn’t a critical first period power play, but when you’re already down 9-0 shots through five minutes, you need to establish something.

And that wasn’t it…the only people on the first unit who looked ready for PP were the vets.

8 in: A pulse, from PP2. Skinner, hard backcheck, wins it. Kurashev gets a shot and finds Skinner to the side of the net, but Skinner can’t corral it.

9 in: They’re even dumping it in wrong. Celebrini dumps it in, which I don’t mind seeing sometimes, maybe a directive from coaches to simplify, but he dumps it off the stanchion next to Avs bench, and the puck bounces out, back into NZ. I’ve never seen that.

9 left: Skinner has been a lot involved in best Sharks’ play so far, finds Misa jumping on for line change for a slot chance.

8 left: Celebrini with a video game move. Gets a pass in high slot from Smith, not a great one, telegraphed and Olofsson on top of Celebrini…and Celebrini spins hard, Olofsson misses him and is left in Texas, and Celebrini wires a shot.

6 left: Good stick by Orlov as MacKinnon looks for backdoor tap-in.

He was helped off, looks like puck hit him high, he was unaware, sitting on the bench

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 1, 2025

3 left: Kurashev chance from Eklund, continuing strong play from last game.

Celebrini goal: Whoa, what a shot. Celebrini walks down main street, Toffoli gives it to late speed in Mack. Mukhamadullin with a brilliant bounce pass up to Toffoli to start. Celebrini seems to signal at the crowd after the goal, too, which I don’t recall seeing as much? A sign of growing swagger? Anyway, Celebrini has something to tease Blackwood about later.

Sharks’ 6-of 24 on draws to start. It matters, such as Celebrini loss on Necas goal. Let’s see if they can turn it around. Otherwise, Wennberg hard-matching on MacKinnon line…and actually doing a decent job of it. They had a lot of chances, helping Sharks push back on Avs.

Period 2

Liljegren done tonight.

1 in: Sweet Mukhamadullin NZ pass to Celebrini. Simple, but not everyone can make that backhand, under an opponent stick, perfect pass to speed flying zone. That’s going to be essential to playing with Macklin in the coming years.

2 in: Good Graf shift. Protects it down low, gets it to Orlov on point. Orlov breaks his stick though, but Graf skates back hard, then chooses the right man on backcheck as Avs enter.

Kurashev goal: Love to see it, he’s playing a really confident game tonight. Dellandrea about to change finds him, Kurashev ahead of defense.

MacKinnon goal: Never seen a goal like that. But I really don’t like that a 2-on-1 was even allowed there. Really don’t like Klingberg stepping up there in NZ on not even a 50-50, his forwards weren’t close to being ready to come back.

10 in: San Jose Sharks need to settle down. Times like these, emotions high, great team on other side, you need to show your mettle.

Mukhamadullin does that, heavy forecheck duress, negotiates it up to Smith. But Smith does the routine pop pass to center speed, which is textbook and fine in theory, but read the situation. Avs read it and pick it off, Sharks hemmed in.

7 left: Giles has been a nice fit for this fourth line, north-south speed and size, backcheck catches Bardakov.

6 left: That Celebrini to Toffoli exchange, Celebrini with speed on entry, drop off to stationary Toffoli, wonder who’s got to be better there? But that execution needs to clean up no matter who, Avs have outshot Sharks 10-0 I think since Kurashev goal. These are tests for a young team. Calm down your game. Askarov doing his part.

3 left: Misa 3-on-2, Sharks haven’t had a shot in ages, he opts for a high pass that’s picked off…you know what I’m going to say.

2 left: Celebrini loves to enter, circle behind net, come out and fire a quick hard forehand pass toward slot, but Burns reads it, deflects the attempt. That’s a fun match-up.

Period 3

1 in: Celebrini just bullied Ross Colton for puck.

But Sharks not starting sharp. Celebrini passed it back into zone before he changed, everybody else was changing, so turnover. Graf just tried a telegraphed stretch. Turnover.

3 in: Good job by Toffoli on forecheck, leads to Sharks PP. Avs giving you a chance.

Klingberg great feed to Toffoli, who wants the cross-slot to Celebrini, defense deflects it, though into Blackwood.

4 in: Nice save by Orlov to keep it in and then quick play, as he was covered, to advance it. Again, he’s calm with the puck, can make plays under duress.

5 in: Like Giles there, simple shot from corner, OZ faceoff.

6 in: MacKinnon steps away from breakaway, Ferraro recovers nicely.

Celebrini just beat three Avs in slot, including Burns, and got a shot off.

8 in: Adventures in puckhandling for a Sharks goalie again. PK clear, Askarov goes get it, falls backwards, puck in the middle, Avs PK’er gets it, Askarov pokecheck saves the day.

9 left: Like, I think, Klingberg’s discipline there, makes bold call to jump up to basically forecheck, successful, but doesn’t chase into the zone for offense. Winning mind-set.

7 left: Good Desharnais shift, nice exit pass, cuts off MacKinnon one-on-one.

2 left: Good second line shift. A little 2-1-2 I think, and some offensive pressure, but mostly a nothing shift against their top line, not a bad thing.

1 left: Big save by Askarov, MacKinnon pushes everyone back, Burns for the winner from the high slot. Great game for him , except some what-was-that puckhandling.

OT

Curious to see how Warsofsky starts. I got Wennberg-Eklund-Liljegren in New York, not Minnesota. Wennberg-Eklund-Orlov to start.