LAS VEGAS — Last Tuesday, the San Jose Sharks looked poised to make a playoff run.
Riding high off a historic 6-5 OT comeback victory at the Pittsburgh Penguins, they stomped the Calgary Flames out in their first game back at home, 6-3.
Since then, the Sharks have gone on a streak, but not the one that they wanted. Instead, the 17-17-3 squad has lost three in a row.
“The two games before this, I thought we deserved to win, did some really good things and bad bounces went in our net, and that’s just how it goes sometimes,” alternate captain Tyler Toffoli said. “Tonight was not the case, and we just didn’t play good enough.”
That’s a fair assessment: San Jose were good enough to win against the Dallas Stars and Seattle Kraken to close the homestand. And they were the opposite of that at the Vegas Golden Knights in a 7-2 loss on Tuesday night.
But a loss is a loss, and for different reasons, the San Jose Sharks are showing that they’re not playoff-caliber quite yet. A win like the Pittsburgh comeback, you’ve got to capitalize on the momentum, right? They failed to, and it’s now Christmas break.
In San Jose’s 5-3 loss last Thursday, the Stars took advantage of the Sharks’ defensive let-downs, and an Alex Nedeljkovic puck-handling gaffe led to a goal.
In their 4-2 defeat last Saturday, the Kraken got some bounces, and Yaroslav Askarov could’ve played better.
Tonight, the Sharks were just awful from the get-go. This certainly wasn’t on either goalie.
“No F3, was the No. 1 thing we talked about tonight going into the game, was our F3 in the middle of the ice was critical,” San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky complained, about the team’s defensive structure. “Three out of the seven goals, maybe four of them, the last one of the third, we don’t have F3, they get odd-man rushes.”
For some, the focus might be on the team’s blueliners, but forward Ryan Reaves supported his coach’s point: “Give up, I don’t know, you have the stats, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 odd-man rushes, diving in when we should and not supporting the D. You can’t do that against a good team. They’re gonna shove it down your throat every time.”
Ultimately, the “good” teams find more ways to win than not…and the other teams?
Different reasons for different losses, but enough losses, and you’re on the outside looking in for the playoffs, once again.
Warsofsky put it well, summarizing the team’s season so far: “What are we, .500? I’d probably say that’s the way we’ve probably played. We’ve had some moments in the right direction. It feels like we take two steps forward, one step back.”
Ryan Warsofsky
Warsofsky’s assessment of #SJSharks at Xmas break: “What are we, .500? I’d probably say that’s the way we’ve probably played. We’ve had some moments in the right direction. It feels like we take two steps forward, one step back.”
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) December 24, 2025
Warsofsky, on the challenge of playing the Golden Knights:
I don’t know if it’s so much the building. It’s their team. It’s a fast team. They go north quickly, the size of them, the speed they play with, structure they play with. And I think any building, when you have momentum, building comes alive, and they got on us really quickly there.
Warsofsky, on Askarov: “Those goals aren’t Asky. We have to pull Asky. I mean, this kid needs to play. We got to get him going…He’s the future of this franchise as a goaltender. It’s unfair to him to have to pull him [for the] momentum.”
He says he gave Askarov this message
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) December 24, 2025
Warsofsky, on if he passed on a positive message to Askarov when he pulled him:
I talked to him. He knows.
After Smith goal, Celebrini skated all the way from the bench, down to Nedeljkovic to give his goalie a stick tap, before taking the center faceoff. He knows they’re not giving their goalies any help tonight
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) December 24, 2025
Tyler Toffoli
Toffoli, on what makes T-Mobile Arena a tough place to get a good start in:
There’s a lot of energy, and I’ve seen it go both ways. And obviously, it wasn’t our night tonight, obviously disappointing. And got to take a few days here, reset and be ready for a push here after Christmas.
Ryan Reaves
Reaves, on the San Jose Sharks’ tough start tonight:
They’re a good hockey team, and you can’t come out like that in the first period. Give up, I don’t know, you have the stats, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 odd-man rushes, diving in when we should and not supporting the D. You can’t do that against a good team. They’re gonna shove it down your throat every time. They made us pay that whole first period.
Bruce Cassidy
Canada Olympic assistant coach Bruce Cassidy, on if Celebrini made a good case for the team, even tonight: “Absolutely.”
More: “Talking about how we played McDavid and Draisaitl [recently. We had] to do that with Celebrini. Putting him in the same sentence as those guys.”
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) December 24, 2025
Cassidy, on Macklin Celebrini:
Talking about how we played McDavid and Draisaitl [recently. We had] to do that with Celebrini. Putting him in the same sentence as those guys…he’s the real deal, he drove play tonight, he’s gonna be a great player to watch in the league, hopefully for the next 15 years, you gotta account for him.