SAN JOSE – Between the extensive upcoming travel and the quality of the opposition, the next three-plus weeks could be the most challenging of the San Jose Sharks’ season.
The demanding schedule might also be a measure of whether the Sharks are truly a playoff team.
The stretch of 12 games in 25 days got off to an impressive start Saturday as the Sharks erased a two-goal third-period deficit before Tyler Toffoli scored at the 1:58 mark of overtime to lift San Jose to a thrilling 5-4 comeback win over the Dallas Stars before a sellout crowd of 17,435 at SAP Center.
Trailing 4-2 after Mikko Rantanen’s 18th goal of the season at the 7:53 mark of the third period, Toffoli and Adam Gaudette scored 5:33 apart to tie the game, with Gaudette’s goal, his 10th of the season, making it 4-4 with 4:59 left in regulation time.
In overtime, with Rantanen serving a holding penalty, Toffoli, stationed near the top of the slot, one-timed a pass from William Eklund past Stars goalie Casey DeSmith for his 13th goal of the season and the Sharks’ sixth win in seven games.
“I thought we earned everything that we got tonight,” Toffoli said. “It was definitely a playoff-style game, and it was just a lot of fun. Obviously, being able to get a win goes a long way.”
The Sharks’ first three goals also came on the power play, with Macklin Celebrini assisting on goals by Alexander Wennberg and Toffoli to extend his point streak to 13 games. Toffoli’s goal came with 10:32 left in regulation time and cut the Stars’ lead to one.
“Guys did a good job of just competing and playing through things,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “They scored to make it 4-2, and we could have easily gone away. Credit to the group for digging in and finding a way.”
Celebrini also assisted on Toffoli’s overtime goal, giving him 70 points on the season. His point streak is tied for the second-longest in Sharks history, with the longest being Erik Karlsson’s 14-game streak from Dec. 3, 2022, to Jan. 6, 2023.
Celebrini’s streak is also the second-longest by a teenager in NHL history, only trailing the 15-game streak Patrik Laine had with the Winnipeg Jets as a 19-year-old in 2018.
Jeff Skinner also scored a power-play goal, and Alex Nedeljkovic finished with 16 saves for the Sharks (23-18-3), who are now five games above .500 for the first time since the end of the 2018-19 season, when they last made the playoffs with 46-27-9 record.
On Wednesday in Los Angeles, the Sharks trailed by one late in the third period before Celebrini scored one of the prettiest goals of the season to tie the game with just over a minute remaining in regulation time. Celebrini then made another dazzling play in overtime as he assisted on Eklund’s game-winner in a 4-3 Sharks victory.
Saturday, the Stars led 3-2 going into the third period. Before the game, the Stars had a 17-0-1 mark this season when they led after two periods.
“There’s a big belief in that dressing room right now that we can win hockey games, and we can play with the best of them,” Warsofsky said. “I’d say that’s the biggest thing that we’re seeing right now, is that there’s a belief — even going into the third period — you felt like we were going to win the hockey game. That was the expectation.”
The Sharks now host the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday in the second half of the difficult back-to-back, then begin a tough four-game road trip with games against Washington, Detroit, Florida, and Tampa Bay — all teams in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt.
After a Jan. 23 home game against the New York Rangers, the Sharks start a five-game road trip that includes stops in Edmonton to play Connor McDavid and the Oilers on Jan. 29, and in Colorado to play Nathan MacKinnon and the Avalanche on Feb. 4, the last game before the Olympic break.
In other words, nine of the Sharks’ next 11 games are on the road. Right now, they seem ready for the challenge.
“No matter who we’re playing, we’re going to come out the same way, keep that same mindset,” Gaudette said. “We can’t focus on who we’re playing and whether they’ve got a good record or a bad record. We like playing good teams, and we like beating the good teams, because we’re a good team.
“We’re gonna come up with that confidence and play the right way, just like we did tonight. Maybe clean some stuff up, and it’ll be good battle (Sunday).”
ROSTER UPDATES
Warsofsky reiterated before Saturday’s game that defenseman John Klingberg and rookie forward Michael Misa are options to play in Sunday’s game.
Klingberg (lower body) hasn’t played since he was injured in the Sharks’ Dec. 31 game against the Minnesota Wild. Misa rejoined the Sharks earlier this week after helping Canada win a Bronze Medal at the IIHF World Junior Championship in Minnesota.
“We have a plan. We know we need to get (Misa) to play, and he needs to play games and get going here,” Warsofsky said. “So I don’t see him sitting too long.”
Misa practiced with the Sharks on Friday and was on the wing and at center during line rushes, raising the possibility that he could play the wing when he returns to the lineup. “I think he looked good in his first practice,” Warsofsky said.
SMITH UPDATE
Sharks forward Will Smith seemingly took another step in his recovery from an upper-body injury Saturday morning as he skated with a group of other players in a regular teal jersey. Smith was in a non-contact orange jersey for Friday’s practice.
Other players who skated Saturday morning were Klingberg, Misa, and defensemen Vincent Desharnais and Shakir Mukhamadullin.
