The San Jose Sharks were back on the ice for the first time in a competitive environment this season on Saturday evening as they played the Los Angeles Kings in their first game at the 2026 Rookie Faceoff.
The Sharks didn’t take long to get on the board, as Filip Bystedt was able to deflect a Jake Boltmann shot past the Kings’ netminder Carter George to make it 1-0.
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George denied Bystedt’s attempt to score a second halfway through the first save, extending his body across the crease to stop a one-timer. Moments after the spectacular save, Carson Wetsch shot a bouncing puck that evaded George, making it 2-0 for the team in teal.
Less than a minute later, Wetsch would add an assist to his stat line after he found Andre Gasseau on a two-on-one rush, extending the Sharks’ lead to 3-0 just over halfway through the period.
The Kings cut the Sharks’ lead to 3-1 with roughly six minutes remaining in the first frame, with a goal from Vojtech Cihar.
The Sharks’ “veteran line” created a chance late in the period as Igor Chernyshov sprung Michael Misa on a breakaway, but Misa was unable to get a shot off.
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The Kings got the first power play of the night with 2:43 remaining in the first, after Bystedt was called for cross-checking following a dangerous hit. That type of penalty certainly won’t help his chances of earning an NHL job in training camp.
Wetsch and Gasseau attempted to recreate their prior magic while shorthanded, but while the play ended up getting broken up by the Kings’ defense, the puck landed on Phillip Sinn’s stick and he found Gasseau in front. Gasseau found the back of the net with his second goal of the night, making it 4-1 right before the end of the first period.
Wetsch and Gasseau almost connected again near the midway point of the second period, but were denied by George.
Brendan Hoffman forced a turnover at the defensive blue line to create a breakaway for himself, but was unable to get the puck past George.
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The Sharks got their first power play opportunity with nine minutes remaining in the period, as Kaleb Lawrence sat for holding the stick.
Right after the power play expired, Wetsch scored his second of the night to extend the Sharks’ lead to 5-1.
Eric Pohlkamp was called for slashing with two and a half minutes remaining in the middle frame, giving the Kings another power play opportunity. The Sharks killed off the penalty and kept their 5-1 lead heading into the third period.
Quentin Musty got a little shaken up after blocking a shot early in the period, but remained in the game. On his next shift, he took a slashing penalty though. Wetsch, despite being short-handed, attempted to get his hat trick when he earned himself a breakaway, but was denied by George.
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Ivar Stenberg picked up his first goal of the tournament with 8:47 remaining in the third period, when Mack Oliphant took a shot from the point which deflected off of his skate. Just 23 seconds later, Stenberg scored again, this time off of a perfect feed from Chernyshov, to make it 7-1. The Kings took exception to the goal, causing a large scrum immediately afterwards.
Chernyshov and Henry Brzustewicz both received 10-minute misconducts for their role in the scrum.
Quentin Musty dropped the gloves with the much larger Woolley with 6:27 remaining in the game.
Alexander Karmanov threw a huge hit on Jakub Dvorak, which left the Kings’ defenseman shaken up. Liam Lefebvre came over and immediately dropped the gloves with the Sharks’ 7-foot-1 defenseman. Karmanov fired up the TechCU Arena crowd as he skated off. Boltmann then had a scrap of his own before the game came to an end. Pavel Martinu added the Sharks’ eighth goal of the night with a minute and a half remaining. The Sharks would maintain their 8-1 lead and turn it into a dominant victory when the final whistle blew.
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