The San Jose Sharks hosted the Vegas Golden Knights in their first preseason action of the 2025-26 season on Sunday night.
In the first period, we got our first look at head coach Ryan Warsofskyâ€s special teams units. Egor Afanasyev was sent to the penalty box for tripping at 5:20, and the penalty kill held strong. There were a few interesting names getting time as well. Sam Dickinson got a shot on the blue line, while Michael Misa and Will Smith were paired together on the penalty kill as well.
Alex Nedeljkovic made a phenomenal save while shorthanded as well, denying Raphael Lavoie on a cross-crease attempt. Misa was tripped up by Cole Schwindt at 8:14 in the first period, making a nice falling pass and drawing a penalty. Quentin Musty had a great chance off a pass from Dickinson as the penalty expired, but was denied by the Golden Knights†22-year-old goalie, Carl Lindbom.
One play that stood out to me early was off of an offensive zone turnover by the Sharks. Vegas attempted to break out of their defensive zone, and Pavol Regenda pulled off a perfectly timed stick lift to dispossess the Golden Knights and regain the puck in a dangerous area.
Warsofsky specifically said he was interested in seeing what Anthony Vincent brought to the table after the non-game groupâ€s morning skate, and it was clear why. He was making smart plays and creating some chances off the rush early on. With that being said, he did make a major error in the second period and was less noticeable as the game went on.
After the first period, it was still a 0-0 deadlock, but the Golden Knights led 9-4 in shots.
Early in the second period, there were a couple of defensive plays that certainly stood out. Nick Leddyâ€s speed is still dangerous, as he rushed back and closed out a Golden Knights zone entry attempt, allowing the Sharks to regain possession. Dickinson also had a great poke-check denying a rush attempt by Vegas forward Brett Howden.
Afanasyev drew a penalty just over seven minutes into the second period, and it didnâ€t take long for the Sharks power play to take advantage. Michael Misa won the faceoff to Tyler Toffoli, who found John Klingberg on the point. Klingberg fired it and found the back of the net through a screen, breaking the deadlock and giving the Sharks a 1-0 lead.
Vegas made a goaltending change shortly after the first goal in an attempt to split time between Lindbom and Jesper Vikman. Lindbom played a total of 31:29 before Vikman took over in the crease.
Jeff Skinner was a major standout in the second period. He created space for himself early in the period and was denied on a rush opportunity. He then scored right before the end of the period, when Will Smith made a great backhand pass to the slot. It landed on Dickinsonâ€s stick, who found Skinner in front of the net, making it 2-0 for the Sharks. Itâ€s important to note that right before getting the secondary assist, Smith was hauled down in the defensive zone and drew a penalty.
Misa took a tripping penalty 11:52 into the second period. Near the end of the penalty, the Sharks were called for too many men, giving the Golden Knights a short 5-on-3 opportunity. The San Jose penalty kill would prevail, and Vegas remained without a goal through two periods.
Toffoli toe-dragged around the Vegas defense early in the third, but after walking in, he was denied by Vikman on the backhand attempt.
Zack Ostapchuk was called for interference with 7:31 remaining in regulation, giving Vegas a golden opportunity to get back in the game. That opportunity would be wasted though, as the Sharks’ penalty kill improved to 4-for-4 on the night.
Despite a late push by the Golden Knights, the Sharks were able to maintain the shutout and, after an empty net goal by Toffoli, they walked away with a 3-0 victory to kick off the preseason.
Nedeljkovic was tested quite a bit early on, but that faded away in the latter half of the game. He made quite a few key saves including a late-game breakaway by Alexander Holtz. So far, he has looked like a solid addition for the Sharks. Considering thereâ€s still uncertainty about how well Yaroslav Askarov will play this season, Nedeljkovic seems like heâ€ll certainly add some stability in the crease.
Philipp Kurashev also looked very solid, making smart plays throughout the night, and overall being in the right spot at the right time.
Quentin Musty was noticeably faster, and his offseason work was paying dividends. Misa was another prospect who definitely didn’t look out of place, he’s adapting to the professional game very quickly and seems primed to have a strong rookie season if what we’ve seen so far continues into the regular season. Dickinson is in a similar situation, as he looked very good as well.
The Sharks will have their second preseason game of the season on Friday, as they once again face the Golden Knights.
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