The Sharks are kicking off pre-season against their rival, the Vegas Golden Knights, today. I will be providing my analysis and thoughts on each period throughout the night!
The Sharks' lines for tonight's game can be found here.
Both of the Sharks' top prospects, Michael Misa and Sam Dickinson, will be in the game tonight as they look to prove they are ready for full-time NHL duty.
Macklin Celebrini will not be playing today, but he was on the ice today after missing the past couple of days due to illness.
Period 1
Not much action through the first 5 minutes, Sharks have done a good job at moving the puck in their own zone so far, a pleasant sign.
Musty with a nice sticklift leads to a Misa chance off the rush that is stopped—a nice play by the two youngsters.
Afanasyev takes a penalty off the draw. The Sharks are going on the penalty kill.
Sharks get the kill. Notably, both Misa and Smith are on the penalty kill; it's pre-season, but an encouraging sign nonetheless.
The Sharks are now going on the power play.
The Sharks can’t get anything going on the power play. Musty had a golden opportunity as time expired on the man advantage, but failed to get a good shot off on net.
The Sharks have struggled to get much going offensively, but they also haven’t given up too much. Kligberg-Leddy has looked really solid at moving the puck out of the defensive zone, something they were brought in to improve.
Musty has had a solid period; he is carrying his success from the rookie faceoff into training camp. Has shown tons of compete and been disruptive away from the puck.
Period ends - still 0-0, Vegas is outshooting the Sharks 9-4
Period 2
Smith, Skinner, and Kurashev line has created a couple of chances in the first shift of the 2nd, they had a quiet first but are looking sharp to start the second.
The Sharks have been showing more life offensively and have definitely gotten their feet under them after a slow start.
Smith makes an impressive pass to Musty in the slot for a one-timer, unfortunately Lindbom makes the great save.
Sharks keep rolling. Misa finds Toffoli in front for the chance, another save by Lindbom.
Sharks heading on the power play with all the momentum, let's see if they can break the ice on the scoresheet.
Klingberg fires a seeing-eye wrister off the faceoff past Lindblom for the power-play goal. Sharks lead 1-0!
Welcome to the Sharks, John Klingberg! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/ddatE93osG
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) September 22, 2025
Dickinson makes an excellent defensive play to shut down a potential Howden breakaway. It has been a mixed bag offensively for Dickinson, but he has looked solid defensively so far.
Smith has been making some high-end plays with split-second decisions, hasn't connected on anything yet, but has definitely been the Sharks' most dynamic forward thus far.
Michael Misa to the Penalty box for tripping.
Sharks take a too-many-men penalty, will have to kill a brief 5-on-3, before going back to 5 on 4.
Sharks kill the penalties, Kurashev gets a breakaway chance after dangling a defender, but can’t beat Lindbom.
The Sharks' 4th line is creating chaos in the offensive zone. The Sharks have been all over the Knights for the majority of the 2nd.
On a delayed penalty, Smith finds Dickinson with a spinorama pass, who moves it to Skinner at the backdoor for the tap-in! 2-0 Sharks! Incredible play.
Smith ➡️ Dickinson ➡️ Skinner = 🚨 pic.twitter.com/4LEvhQsnv3
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) September 22, 2025
The Sharks were all over the Knights that period and have a 2-goal lead to show for it, outshot the Knights 12-5 in that period, need to stay on the gas in the 3rd! 2-0 Sharks after two.
Period 3
Toffoli makes a nice move to the net for a good scoring chance, but can’t quite finish it.
The Sharks are defending well so far this period, not giving Vegas any daylight in the first 5 minutes.
Nedeljkovic makes a solid save on a Lavoie one-timer. Nedeljkovic hasn’t faced many high-danger opportunities, but that's in large part due to his excellent positioning in this game to this point.
Regenda almost sprang Huntington for a breakaway but just missed on the pass. The Sharks' 4th line has looked strong tonight.
The Sharks are showing great composure with the 3rd period lead, a welcome sight structurally after the number of meltdowns last season.
As I say this, the Sharks take an interference penalty, giving the Knights a power play.
Nedeljkovic faces a flurry from the knights but holds the fort and keeps the shutout intact. Sharks kill the penalty.
Klingberg draws a penalty on Lavoie, and the Sharks go to the power play immediately after a big kill.
Holtz gets sprung on a breakaway after the Sharks failed to score on the power play, but Nedeljkovic shuts the door. The other way the Sharks get a two-on-one, but Vikman flashes the leather on a high-danger look for Ostapchuk. Big saves on both ends of the ice.
Toffoli puts it in the empty net to put the game on ice. 3-0 Sharks.
Post Game
Sharks kick off the pre-season on a strong note with a 3-0 win over the Knights. After a sluggish first period, they found their legs and controlled possession for large portions of the game. And found success in every facet of the game. And while it’s only pre-season, it's good seeing these habits early on, even if it's not quite NHL-caliber competition.
This was a big game for Sam Dickinson, who put together his best 60-minute performance in a Sharks uniform. As the game went on, he looked calm under pressure and was excellent in all three zones. If he can play like this regularly, there is no reason he can’t stick in the NHL this season, even as a 19-year-old.
Nedeljkovic also had an excellent debut in teal, stopping all 24 shots against for the shutout.
The Sharks are off until Friday, when they will face the Golden Knights again in preseason action.