Pregame

As is always the case when a team comes to Toronto, there were storylines to follow before the puck was even dropped. Sam Dickinson, who grew up a Montreal Canadiens fan in Toronto, had approximately half the population of the city in attendance. 

The trade over the Summer that brought Ryan Reaves to the Sharks and sent Henry Thrun to the Maple Leafs came full circle last night, as both were in the lineup for their respective teams. Thrun was making his Maple Leafs debut against the Sharks after playing with the AHL Marlies all season.  

Former Maple Leafs looking to get revenge on behalf of the Sharks included John Klingberg, Timothy Liljegren, and Ryan Reaves. 

First Period:

The Sharks started the first period strong and fast, testing the inexperienced Dennis Hildeby in net for Toronto. After about the first 5 minutes, Toronto mostly controlled the play, keeping most of the Sharks’ offense to the outside and blocking shots before they even got to their goalie. 

The Sharks’ plethora of turnovers, combined with the Leafs’ struggling zone entries, led to a back-and-forth game. The Sharks had a few opportunities on breakaways they couldn’t convert on. Dellandrea had a breakaway defended by Morgan Rielly that led to a penalty shot attempt, and while he couldn’t put it away, it was a fun moment to watch a Toronto native get a penalty shot in Scotia Bank Arena as the bad guy. 

Another rush chance by the Leafs saw Dakota Joshua crash the net and get a tip in goal, putting the Leafs up 1-0.

The Leafs’ defense is very focused on not letting anything get into the slot, whether it’s a pass, shot, or person. The Sharks, especially Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, love to put passes, shots, and people into the slot. For most of the game, the Leafs’ defense was winning the slot battle, causing turnover after turnover on errant cross-ice passes by the young Sharks players. 

Second Period

The second period momentum belonged to the Leafs. They outshot the Sharks 14-8 and were able to get multiple instances of continuous zone time. The Sharks’ PK looked hesitant to be aggressive, kickstarting the Toronto power play and resulting momentum. 

Auston Matthews is one of the best players in the league for a reason, and ignoring him on the power play is not usually the best idea. Then again, that is why he is so good, because he can find the weak spots and make teams pay for forgetting about him. An objectively questionable hooking call on Celebrini led to the Matthews power play goal. 

Ryan Warsofsky decided he had had enough of the lines he started the game with and jumbled them a few minutes before the end of the period. The line jumbling must have woken up the Sharks because this decision pays off almost immediately, leading to Orlov’s first goal as a San Jose Shark after starting the season with a defenseman leading 16 assists. 

Third Period:

After getting shown up in the second, the lineup changes boosted the Sharks in the third. While Celebrini didn’t score, it was obvious he wanted to. He had six shots in the game, many of them dangerous chances that Hildeby was able to fight off. 

The Leafs ended up having to finish the game with five defensemen after Adam Gaudette got into an awkward collison with Oliver Ekman-Larsson that left OEL unable to get to the bench under his own power. The Leafs have already used 10 defensemen this season, hence the use of Henry Thrun last night. The test of the Leafs’ defensive depth proved to be insurmountable the rest of the way. 

In his Toronto revenge game, Reaves connected with Barclay Goodrow on a hard-nosed hockey play that saw them tie the game. Just as the Sharks were rubbing it in the Leafs face that Reaves is the reason the game is tied, the goal came back for offside. If a goal is challenged for offside in today’s NHL, it is more than likely getting the call reversed.

Immediately after the disallowed Reaves goal, Dellandrea got called for hooking, making a comeback feel Herculean. Hildeby caught an incredible behind the back save that left the Sharks clinging to hope as they pulled Alex Nedeljkovic for an extra skater with minutes to go.

John Klingberg, after a lot of the criticism he has gotten so far this year, silenced the haters with a blast from the point through a Alex Wennberg screen to tie the game in the last 1:30, sending it to overtime. 

Overtime

Overtime started like they always do in 3-on-3; Toronto won the faceoff, then spent the next 2 minutes playing keep away, looking for the perfect opportunity to score. Matthews tried to split William Eklund and Wennberg before getting the puck stolen, starting a 2-on-1 the other way. After some nifty Swedish magic between those two, Wennberg scored to put the Sharks in sole possession of the second wild card spot in the West once again, capping off a night where he had three points and over 22 minutes of ice time to lead all Sharks forwards. 

The play was reviewed for both a kicking motion and offsides, but it was deemed a good goal. The Sharks had already had a high five line, hugged their goalie, and celebrated like it was their first win of the season so it would have been extremely awkward if they had to keep playing. 

Player shoutouts

Nedeljkovic: For most of the game, the Sharks were getting shelled with shots originating from their own turnovers. Ned kept the team in the game, making saves when he had to and only letting the unstoppable ones in. He ended the night with 28 saves on 30 shots, good for a 0.933 SV%. 

Klingberg: While one game doesn’t overwrite a lot of the mistakes he has made this season, Klingberg showed why he is still in the lineup tonight. Scoring in a big moment to tie the game and getting the primary assist on the Orlov goal with a fancy move could be a sign of more to come. 

Reaves: Reaves might not score goals like Celebrini or play 25 minutes a night like Ferraro, but he has been a valuable piece on this Sharks team. As a Sharks fan, I never thought I would be cheering for Reaves, but here we are. With nine hits tonight, five more than any other player in the game, he made his presence known. He gave a quote today to the media about how Toronto management said he was done in the NHL, only to be the one celebrating on the ice after the overtime winner. 

“They basically said that I couldn’t play in this league anymore, and I’m back.”

Ryan Reaves shares his thoughts on being traded by the Maple Leafs last offseason. pic.twitter.com/K8tIXhTH75

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 11, 2025

Other thoughts

The Celebrini line was physically outmatched tonight by the Matthews line. While he still managed to create some real opportunities, he is still only a 19-year-old in a league full of men. With time and experience, a matchup against Matthews will only get easier. 

The Sharks are still 0-7-2 when Celebrini does not get a point. Secondary scoring, as we saw in Toronto last night, will be necessary for the Sharks to continue to compete with teams on the playoff bubble. Even if it feels like it, the Sharks cannot always be the Celebrini show.Â