After years of struggling the Sharks are finally giving their fans a reason to cheer

The Sharks matched their longest win streak in the previous two seasons the other night against the Florida Panthers. It was their 3rd straight win in a row. Obviously, nothing to write home about for most teams, but for a rebuilding Sharks team, their recent success feels different from the past seasons of the rebuild.

 Not only are the Sharks winning, but they have done so in arguably the toughest stretch of their schedule so far. Picking up 11 out of 12 points over their last six games, with their only loss being in a shootout to Detroit. In previous seasons, the Sharks would put up small winning streaks in between losing massive amounts of games. The Sharks are on the cusp of the Wild Card for the playoffs, and even if it’s early and the Sharks regress over the coming months, it’s been a long time since Sharks fans could even mention their team and the playoffs in the same sentence. 

While much of this has to do with the ascent of Macklin Celebrini into one of the league's biggest superstars, he is not the only player making strides for the Sharks. 

Will Smith is often in Macklin Celebrini’s shadow and doesn't get the same attention, but he is having an excellent sophomore campaign with 16 points in 16 games, a point per game pace for the 20-year-old forward. He factored in on 2 of the Sharks' 3 goals against the Panthers, with Celebrini’s first goal coming off Smith forcing a turnover off the forecheck, stripping the puck from Ekblad, and finding Celebrini wide open in front of the net for the goal. His second assist was on Wernberg's empty net goal. An empty net point is nothing to write home about, but it's a testament to the coaching staff's belief in Smith. Last season, Smith would have been on the bench in a crucial defensive situation, but this has not been the case this year. Smith has the coaching staff’s complete trust, and even if there are some bumps along the road defensively, Smith has shown improvements in other areas. As he gets stronger and faster, his already dynamic offense could become even more consistent, especially if he is playing with someone as talented as Celebrini.  

Yaroslav Askarov also stole the show against the Panthers, stopping 37 of 38 shots, and looking unshakeable in net. This is the Askarov the Sharks thought they were getting when they gave up the equivalent of 2 first-round picks to acquire him. And although he had a rocky start, the good games are coming more frequently for him, and he is starting to put his bad start in the rear-view mirror. 

In his post-game interview, Askarov said this was the loudest he had heard SAP Center, and the Sharks have good reason to cheer. Not only do we have a young core many anticipate will blossom into a legitimate contender one day, but they are also finding ways to win games. It took a bit, but there is finally some tangible hope for Sharks fans to get behind this season.