The San Jose Sharks are on a three-game losing streak and aim to break it Thursday against the St. Louis Blues.
Tampa Bay Loss
In their third of a six-game road trip, the Sharks fell 8-1 in a blowout loss to Tampa Bay Lightning.
Vitek Vanecek started in net, allowing five goals on 12 shots, resulting in a .583 save percentage.
In the second, with the Sharks down 5-0, Mackenzie Blackwood relieved Vanecek.
Tampa scored two more in the second, with Anthony Cirelli’s tip-in assisted by Ryan McDonagh and Brayden Point. Sharks head Coach Ryan Warsofsky challenged Cirelli’s goal for offsides, but officials ruled it a good goal.
Making it 7-0 was Nick Perbix assisted by Point and Emil Lilleberg.
At 19:46 in the third, Alex Wennberg scored the lone goal for the Sharks, making the score 7-1. Wennberg’s wrist shot was assisted by Fabian Zetterlund and Jan Rutta.
Nick Paul delivered the night’s final blow with a backhand, assisted by Point and Moser.
Despite the loss, defensemen Jake Walman and Cody Ceci were the few d-men who finished with a manageable minus-one rating. Walman continues to log heavy minutes (22:39) and contributed two shots, one blocked shot, and one hit.
Along with spoiling Andrei Vasilevskiy’s shutout, Wennberg played 22 shifts, the second highest among Sharks’ forwards. A middle-six center, Wennberg blocked two shots and logged 18:14 TOI.
Despite finishing with a minus-three rating, Zetterlund contributed with his assist, two shots, one blocked shot, and one hit.
Blackwood finished the game with 20 saves on 23 shots and a .870 save percentage.
3-1 Loss to Panthers
In their second loss on the road trip, the Sharks fell 3-1 against the Florida Panthers.
Matthew Tkachuk scored twice in the game, first just 23 seconds into the opening period, and again in the second.
Midway through the second, the Panthers made it 3-0 with a goal from Aleksander Barkov on the power play. Earning assists were Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe.
Late in the third, the Sharks got a power play and Tyler Toffoli scored with a tip-in. Picking up assists were Mikael Granlund and Jake Walman.
With 1:26 remaining, the Sharks couldn’t mount a comeback, falling to 0-2-0 in the Sunshine State.
Blackwood made 50 saves in his last game with the Sharks, marking his third 50-save game in his NHL career.
22-year-old Ethan Cardwell played 11:21 minutes, contributing one shot and one hit in his sixth appearance with the Sharks.
Sharks Trades and Transactions
On Monday the Sharks traded forward Givani Smith, goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, and a 2027 fifth-round draft pick to Colorado. The Sharks acquired goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, rookie forward Nikolai Kovalenko, a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2026 second-round pick.
Prior to the trade, Smith had been placed on waivers on Sunday.
Defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin was recalled from San Jose Barracuda (AHL) on Tuesday.
Rookie center Will Smith was placed on injured reserve the same day with an upper-body injury.
AHL defenseman Valtteri Pulli and the Sharks have mutually agreed to terminate the prospect’s contract. The Sharks announced on Wednesday that Pulli had requested to play in Europe.
Losing the Lead, 3-2 Loss to Hurricanes
In the first game since trading Blackwood, the Sharks lost their lead and fell 3-2.
Vanecek made 25 saves on 28 shots in between the pipes for Team Teal.
Scoring both goals for the Sharks was Luke Kunin in the opening two periods.
The Sharks dominated faceoffs and hits, but Carolina’s late third-period goal sealed their loss.
Macklin Celebrini logged a notable 22:39 minutes of ice time. The second-line center contributed an assist, one shot, one blocked shot, three hits, and one takeaway.
Fresh off the Blackwood transaction, Kovalenko played 9:23 of ice time.
Team Teal finishes their road trip against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, looking to break their three-game losing streak.
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