It was pretty hard a year for me and for the team, of course. But I think just this year, it's been such a different experience, and I've really enjoyed it so far. The way we are with each other, it's so positive and so much joy in our room. I think it shows on the ice, and we've been able to have some success, but now it's time to keep it going and make that push.
Throughout his tenure as captain, he seems more frustrated than excited and his personality has suffered. When was the last time we saw Matthews smile? If you do a google search of "Auston Matthews Smiling," the last time you'll see him smile was during the press conference where he was named captain, then after that it's been nothing but serious.
"This is my favorite event I'm involved in. I mean, I don't love being a ref, but it's a very special event for everyone," he said. "I think sometimes we get lost in what we do in our day-to-day. We have to give back as role models and mentors. Its important for the San Jose Sharks and the community of San Jose to give back."
Sharks defenseman Vincent Desharnais upended Panthers forward Mackie Samoskevich along the boards in the San Jose end. Evan Rodrigues then came in and leveled Desharnais with a hit from behind. That caused a melee to the side of the Sharks' net, with Nedeljkovic jumping to get a piece of Rodrigues. A few seconds later, Bobrovsky skated the length of the ice to get at Nedeljkovic.
The Sharks will see how both stack up against the defending Stanley Cup Champions today. Last time these two teams met, it ended favorably for the Sharks. San Jose won 3-1 at home with Yaroslav Askarov making 38 saves in the win. The Panthers are 25-19-3 this season, sitting seventh in the Atlantic Division and fifth in the Eastern Conference wild card race. Florida is 5-4-1 in its last 10 games. It beat the Washington Capitals 5-2 on Saturday.
Potentially needing to clear a roster spot for some soon-to-be healthy players, the San Jose Sharks on Sunday placed veteran defenseman Nick Leddy on waivers. Leddy, 34, is one of seven defensemen on San Jose's active roster. But the Sharks, who are already carrying the maximum 23 players, were soon going to be facing a roster crunch with defensemen Vincent Desharnais and Shakir Mukhamadullin both nearing a return from their respective injuries.
The San Jose Sharks are well and truly ahead of schedule in their rebuild. Macklin Celebrini's sophomore season is giving the Sharks significant return on their initial investment, which saw San Jose pick Celebrini first overall in 2024. In addition, the team is firmly in positon to contend for a Western Conference playoff spot throughout the 2025-26 season's second half, a position the team hasn't been in for the past several seasons.
With Kovacevic back and Simon Nemec, 21, needing to play games in the eyes of Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald, and Brett Pesce a bright spot on the team's blue line, Hamilton is, in the words of New Jersey coach Sheldon Keefe, the odd-man out. It's not that simple, according to Hamilton's agent, J.P. Barry, who told The Athletic he views Hamilton's scratching as a calculated maneuver intended to force the 2020-21 NHL All-Star to accept a trade.
The San Jose Sharks hosted the Dallas Stars on the first day of a back-to-back against two hard hitting, highly skilled teams, with the Vegas Golden Knights coming tomorrow. Coming off two exhilarating wins against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Los Angeles Kings that put them in sole possession of the first wild card spot in the West, the Sharks had a challenge ahead of them: have a good showing against a good team.
