Sharks Collapse in the Third Period Against the Maple Leafs
The San Jose Sharks were unable to acquire a win as the Toronto Maple Leafs end their three-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over San Jose.
The Sharks' first meeting with the Toronto Maple Leafs went with more to be desired after a much hyped matchup between the first two 2026 NHL Draft picks, as No. 1 pick Gavin McKenna scored the game-winner and the Sharks No. 2 pick Ivar Stennberg went scoreless.
Things looked bright for the Sharks when Mason Marchment scored in the first period, but it was all Toronto from there.
Auston Matthews scored a goal on the power play and added two assists for a three-point night.
The Toronto special teams continued to show their flare as Mckenna scored a third-period power-play goal, and then Nick Paul sealed the deal with an empty-net goal.
Yaroslav Askarov made his return in net and put up a good stat line, finishing the night with a .935% save percentage and making 29 stops to keep the Sharks in the game.
Macklin Celebrini went scoreless, which once again proves costly to San Jose.
The Sharks will have little time to recover as they travel immediately to play against the Montreal Canadiens, who are currently ranked seventh in the Atlantic Division.
