Hockey is back! The Sharks are kicking off their 2025 Rookie Faceoff against the Anaheim Ducks tonight in a clash of two of the top prospect pools in the NHL. The Rookie Faceoff is a very fun tournament and a good opportunity to see the Sharks' prospects in action. I will be covering the highlights of each period and giving my thoughts on tonight's game.
The Sharks' lineup tonight can be found here.
Period 1
Musty connects with Lund in the first minute of the game with a nice cross-ice pass, and a nice finish driving the net by Lund. 1-0 Sharks!
Mathieu of the Ducks beats Ravensbergen with a wrister from the point 8 minutes into the first period. Tied 1-1
Misa and Cagnoni are looking brilliant on the Sharks first Powerplay, but the Sharks fail to score despite creating some dangerous looks.
Ravensbergen makes a great save on Guite after a bad Sharks turnover by Wang
Dickinson fires one of the crossbar with a nasty wrister from the point, the puck works its way back to Havelid, who fires a wrister into the back of the net. 2-1 Sharks!
It's been a rough 1st period for Haoxi Wang; raw tools are there, but the giveaways have been an issue this period.
Sharks lead 2-1 at the end of the first period.
Period 2
Wang overskates a puck, leading to a Michael Misa penalty and a power play for the Ducks. Ducks instantly capitalize with a goal on a deflection by Washe on a point shot off the faceoff. The game is tied 2-2.
Cagnoni’s ability to run a power play has been evident; he has looked great today on the man advantage despite his unit not finding the back of the net.
Just as I say that Cagnoni to Graf to Musty for the tap-in, on an incredible tic-tac-toe play on the power play, 3-2 Sharks!
Musty has had a lot of success with the puck today, but he also looks the most engaged off the puck I've seen him in a while.
A nice give-and-go by Bystedt and Lund leads to a high danger scoring chance. A nice save by Buteyets keeps it a one-goal game.
Musty makes a nice pass from his knees, but Furlong misses the net. If Musty can continue playing with the effort he is showing tonight, he could be in for a big season for the Barracuda.
For all the bad moments, Wang’s good moments show immense potential. His skating is something else.
Sharks lead 3-2 after the 2nd period.
Period 3
Ravensbergen lays out for an incredible glove save of a Beckett Senneke breakaway to keep it 3-2.
A bad giveaway in the Ducks zone leads to a Cam Lund goal off the post and in just a minute into the 3rd, his 2nd of the game. 4-2 Sharks!
The Sharks' 4th line puts together a nice sequence in the offensive zone, draws a penalty.
The Sharks' power play is clicking. Misa finds Graf at the back post on a really nice passing sequence by the Sharks. 5-2 Sharks!
Misa has been quiet five on five, but he has had his moments on the power-play, definitely looks like he is still getting his feet under him.
Ravensbergen flashes the pad on another beautiful save, unfortunately, the Ducks keep possession and score a power-play goal. 5-3 Sharks.
Musty dangles through a defender and finds Lund wide open at the net. Lund is denied twice, trying for the hat trick.
Halttunen and Solberg drop the gloves; Halttunen loses the fight, but it's good seeing him stand up for himself and not shying away from the dirty work.
Lund is shaken up after a high hit by Francis, leaves the ice under his own power, but heads to the dressing room, hoping he is okay. Francis was given a minor penalty.
Misa finds Graf point-blank in the slot, and McIver makes an excellent save to keep it a 2-goal game.
Things are boiling over between the whistle, with multiple fights happening. The Sharks are definitely not happy with the hit on Lund, and it is showing.
Cagnoni puts the puck in the empty net for the Insurance goal, 6-3 Sharks!
And that's it for tonight's game, a good offensive showing for the Sharks who dominated the Ducks on the power play. The Sharks win with a final score of 6-3.
The game got heated near the end, but the Sharks stayed focused and picked up the Victory. Musty was, in my opinion, the Sharks' most impactful player tonight. He was all over the puck and making plays for the Sharks.
They will be back in action tomorrow at 1 pm PST to face the Kings.