Sharks Fall in Shootout and Watch Their Playoff Window Slam Shut
Linus Karlsson ended it in the sixth round of the shootout, and just like that, the San Jose Sharks are staring down playoff elimination. The Vancouver Canucks beat the Sharks 4-3 on Saturday night in what was supposed to be a promising final home game, but instead it turned into a gut punch. After each team managed only one goal through five rounds of the shootout, Karlsson beat Yaroslav Askarov and sent Vancouver's four-game losing streak to history. For San Jose, it snapped what looked like a real turnaround season.
A Season That Almost Was
Here's the thing about the Sharks this year: they finished last in the league for the past two seasons. Last. Now they've climbed 30 points in the standings. That's the kind of jump that should feel like vindication, like the rebuild is working. Except they're still chasing. They trail Los Angeles by five points with just three games left, fighting for that final wild card spot in the Western Conference. One more result like Saturday and they're done.
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👉 Claim Your Free $10 at KalshiHow It Fell Apart
Igor Chernyshov gave the Sharks the lead with 7:16 left in regulation, scoring his second goal of the night to make it 3-2. That looked like enough. Then Teddy Blueger answered on the power play with three minutes left, and just like that, overtime was calling. The Canucks' Marco Rossi and Jake DeBrusk had also lit the lamp earlier. Kevin Lankinen stopped 28 shots for Vancouver. Tyler Toffoli scored for San Jose too, while Askarov made 38 saves but couldn't get the job done when it mattered most.
Macklin Celebrini assisted on both of Chernyshov's goals, giving him 110 points on the season. He's four points shy of the franchise record Joe Thornton set back in 2006-07. That's the kind of individual excellence that usually wins you games down the stretch. Not Saturday night.
The Sharks have three games to save their season. The clock is ticking, and it's running fast.
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