Sharks Win Comeback Thriller in Utah for First Win of the Season

“We are going to go and win a hockey game in Utah.” 

Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro boldly claimed the Sharks would go into Utah and leave with their first win of the season after becoming the only NHL franchise to suffer a nine game losing streak to open two consecutive seasons.

In game number 10, the Sharks came out with some bite in the first ten minutes, even showing positive momentum on a power play, but ultimately the ice tilted the wrong direction as it so often does in this era of sharks hockey. 

The first period has been nightmarish this year for the Sharks as they have given up a goal in the first frame for the sixth time in seven games. Today marked the fifth of those six where the opposing team scored multiple in the first as Utah went into the second period up by two. 

The Sharks continued to fight, not being discouraged by the scoreboard and tilted the ice back in their own favor outshooting Utah 16-6 in the second period, but were outscored 2-1. 

The score seemed set in stone at 4-1 in favor of Utah until just under five minutes to go in the third period when the Sharks snuck in a late goal.

Mikael Granlund launched a bomb from the point that was tipped in front by Fabian Zetterlund.

25 seconds later, Granlund launched another bomb from the point, this time going on from his stick as Utah goalie Connor Ingram was screened in front. 

Out of nowhere, the Sharks were only down a goal and had a chance to steal a point. With a chance for overtime, insert Tyler Toffoli who buried a rebound at 17:18 of the third to tie the game, erasing a three goal deficit in a minute and fifty seconds. 

In overtime after William Eklund drew a penalty crashing the net, Granlund decided not to fix what wasn’t broke, firing from the point again. This time the shot missed the net, but Alex Wennberg buried the rebound off the boards into the back of the net to fulfill Ferraro’s prophecy and give the Sharks their first win of the 2024-25 season.

Tonight was a great night for the Sharks, finally getting in the win column, but also reminded Sharks fans the type of season they should expect. 

The Sharks goal this year is to improve. Be more competitive, win a bit more, and to show progress in player development with their younger players. At the end of the season, a culture, or the foundations of a culture, should be in place for taking a step next season. 

The key to the Sharks being competitive this year lies in limiting the damage by playing clean in the first period and limiting penalties. 

The fight, the want, the work is being put in. It’s there, but simply the Sharks lack the talent to win consistently right now. They won tonight, but they had to outshoot Utah 45-23 to do so and still needed a dramatic comeback in the end and a serendipitous bounce in overtime to get their first win. 

That is the reality we knew we were in going into the season. The slogan “The Future is Teal” is honest in that the future is bright, not the present. The Sharks have some good players, the coaching seems to have cleaner schemes in place and a clearer vision on how to attack, but mostly the Sharks still have players who won’t be in teal for the long haul. 

Losing Macklin Celebrini hurts more each game, as his impact was felt immediately in his lone NHL appearance against the St. Louis Blues where he scored two points opening night.

The fact the Sharks were able to gut out a win like this without arguably their best player in Celebrini could be a crucial brick set in place in rebuilding a Sharks culture that has been pulverized to rubble since their last playoff run. 

The most important thing to look for with the Sharks this season isn’t on the point total in the standings. It’s visible progress.

As the months go on and the Sharks get closer to drafting another lottery pick, are the Sharks, particularly the young guys, getting better? Are they getting more comfortable in the NHL? Do you see them taking steps forward rather than shrinking in the moment, making the same mistakes, starting to go through the motions? 

There’s 72 more games in this season, and while we aren’t scoping out who the Sharks will select with another lottery pick quite yet, although we will, we are watching to see signs of life and competitiveness. 

Congratulations to Ryan Warsofsky, who collected his first career win as a head coach in the NHL with a thriller in Salt Lake City. With the seal finally broken, Warsofsky and the Sharks look to build on snapping a nine game losing streak with a winning streak. The Sharks look to get their first win at SAP Center tomorrow night against the Los Angeles Kings.