Our series looking at the most important games of the season for the San Jose Sharks continues today. Earlier this week, we broke down their three biggest wins. While those games have helped the Sharks hang around the playoff race for far longer than almost anyone expected, a recent cold streak places them definitively on the wrong side of the playoff bubble. Let’s take a look at a couple of losses that are making that gap much tougher to overcome in the final stretch.
4-3 Overtime Loss vs. Vegas Golden Knights, Oct. 9, 2025
In their first game of the season, the Sharks had chances to do two things they haven’t done very often recently: win their first game of the season and beat the Vegas Golden Knights. With just under two minutes left in the third period, they led by one and were in prime position to accomplish both.
The subsequent series of events probably couldn’t be recreated if the teams tried. A clearance attempt hit the scoreboard, and William Eklund missed an empty net twice. Of course, those were just a tune-up for perhaps the two weirdest goals the Sharks have allowed all season. First, Jack Eichel’s dump-in took a bizarre bounce past Alex Nedeljkovic and into the net.
Then, Nedeljkovic’s aggressive attempt to play the puck in the overtime period turned disastrous as it deflected right to Vegas for Reilly Smith’s winner. The Sharks still have not beaten the Knights in the regular season since 2023.
San Jose Sharks goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic misplays the puck against Vegas Golden Knights right wing Reilly Smith (Robert Edwards-Imagn Images)
The win wouldn’t have just been two points to begin the season. It would have given the Sharks a chance to start the season on the right foot after losing the first 11 games of the 2023-24 season and their first nine games in 2024-25. Instead of opening 1-0, they spiraled once again, losing their next five games and playing from behind for another season.
While the Sharks did eventually get into playoff contention, they haven’t been able to sustain that standing, thanks in part to those early struggles giving them no margin for error. Had they held on against the Knights, their entire season outlook might have been different.
4-3 Overtime Loss at Edmonton Oilers, Jan. 29, 2026
Although the Sharks have mostly been very good at holding late leads so far this season, one of the few times they didn’t could prove to be one of the defining losses of the campaign. They were up 3-0 going into the third period but allowed the Edmonton Oilers to score three times in those 20 minutes, including twice in a six-on-five situation, before conceding the winner in overtime to turn what should have been a guaranteed two points into one.
Related: Sharks’ Coaching Staff Is at an Inflection Point
The Sharks failed on multiple attempts to clear the puck with Edmonton’s net empty and didn’t use their timeout during that time. Combine that with bizarre lineup combinations in the extra frame — most notably, Macklin Celebrini never saw the ice — and perhaps no game this season offered the Sharks more regrets and missed opportunities. They had a chance to get their third straight win and enter the Olympic break with momentum. Instead, they lost all their remaining games before the Olympics and have only won five since returning.
Had the Sharks closed the first part of the season on the right track, perhaps their current tough times wouldn’t be happening. At the very least, they would be easier to navigate and put the team in a better position for a shot at the playoffs.
Sharks’ Season Coming Down to Thin Margins
The Sharks’ games against both the Golden Knights and the Oilers came down to a couple of bounces, the kinds of things that could have been changed by a single puck traveling an inch to the left or right. Of course, the same can be said for many of their wins, including the ones discussed in the previous article.
As a young team with a number of players navigating their first playoff push, the Sharks are learning how narrow the line can be between wins and losses, as well as postseason appearances and misses. They may or may not have the talent to get them over that line this season, but the experience should be good for them in the long run.
