In the San Jose Sharks’ final home game of the preseason, the Sharks fell to the Anaheim Ducks 5-2 in a game that was much closer than the final score showed.
First Period
The Sharks and Ducks opened this one with a ton of energy, but nothing to show for it on the scoreboard. Both goalies came ready. Yaroslav Askarov for San Jose and Calle Clang for Anaheim were locked in right away, shutting down every chance they faced.
It didn’t take long for things to heat up. Leo Carlsson got the first real look of the night, forcing Askarov to make a solid stop. A few seconds later, Michael Misa answered with a quick release of his own, but Clang pushed it away. The closest San Jose came to scoring was Tyler Toffoli ringing one off the post midway through the period.
The physical side of the game showed up early, too. Ryan Reaves laid a couple of heavy hits on Pavel Mintyukov, while Shakir Mukhamadullin leveled Carlsson near the blue line.
Ryan Reaves is making an introduction pic.twitter.com/8GDpcxSUEf
— JD Young (@MyFryHole) October 2, 2025
Ryan Reaves reminded us why he is in this league. William Eklund and Yegor Sidorov also got involved, making sure Anaheim knew the Sharks weren’t going to be passive.
San Jose got a chance to break through when Jeff Skinner took a tripping penalty at 13:50, but the Sharks’ power play never really found its rhythm. Anaheim’s penalty kill was aggressive, forcing Askarov to make some of his best saves just to keep it even.
By the horn, it was still 0–0.
Second Period
The first crack came quickly. Ryan Poehling won an offensive-zone draw and set up Beckett Sennecke, who buried a wrist shot past Askarov at 1:09 to give Anaheim the 1–0 lead.
Just a few minutes later, the Ducks doubled it when Sam Colangelo beat Askarov clean on another wrister, with Drew Helleson and Tyson Hinds picking up the helpers.
And before San Jose could even settle back in, Cutter Gauthier made it 3–0 with a snapshot off the rush at 7:55, unassisted, and a reminder of why he’s considered one of Anaheim’s most dangerous young scorers.
The Sharks had some chances to respond. Adam Gaudette and Dmitry Orlov each got quality looks, only to be denied by Clang, who didn’t flinch all period. Toffoli, Misa, and Will Smith all tested him late on the power play, but Anaheim’s penalty kill stayed aggressive, and Clang’s positioning stayed perfect.
By the time the horn sounded, the Sharks were staring at a 3–0 deficit and the team was searching for answers. The effort wasn’t gone, however; shots were there, the power play got some zone time, and the hits were traded. But Anaheim’s finish was the difference.
Third Period
Down 3–0 after forty minutes, San Jose finally found some life in the third. Just fifty seconds in, William Eklund got the Sharks on the board with a wrap-around finish, set up by Tyler Toffoli and Will Smith.
It was exactly the spark the team needed, and for the first time all night, the building had some real energy.
The Sharks kept coming. Jeff Skinner cut the deficit to one with a slap shot at 5:22, thanks to a perfect setup from Philipp Kurashev.
Suddenly, it was 3–2, and the Sharks had Anaheim wobbling a little. Toffoli nearly tied it minutes later, but the post got in the way, and Clang continued to frustrate San Jose with timely saves on Eklund, Misa, and Smith.
The middle stretch of the period had everything; there were heavy hits, a few scrums after the whistle, and the Sharks tilting the ice in search of the equalizer. For a while, it felt like momentum was on their side.
And with the goaltender pulled, the Sharks tried to even things up, but things did not go San Jose’s way. With just under 90 seconds left, Yegor Sidorov slid the puck into the empty net to regain the two-goal lead. Frank Vatrano sealed it a minute later with a wrist shot that made it 5–2 and silenced any comeback hopes.
It was a frustrating night for San Jose: signs of fight and some real flashes in the third, but the hole dug in the second was too deep. Anaheim skated out of the Shark Tank with the win, while San Jose was left looking at another preseason loss.
Postgame
The Sharks may have lost again, but the energy was there.
Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky gives credit to Ryan Reaves’ physical presence that stuck out last night:
“Really good, one of our best,” he said.
But Warsofsky was seemingly not discouraged. The team played hard and created more momentum than in the past few matchups, and the ripple was seen.
“You know, there are some things we did really well, some things we’ve really talked about that we did, and then there are some things that we need to continue to improve on,” said Warsofsky.
Toffoli is a veteran leader in the NHL; he’s been through it. But it’s a vital role to uphold that may cause pressure in these situations. He knows that all the team needs is to be situated.
“We haven’t necessarily been together as a full group yet. I think the past couple of days, we’ve kind of been together, but not really. So the more we’re together, I think it’s gonna start working a little bit better,” said Toffoli.
Scoring summary Anaheim Ducks at San Jose Sharks Oct. 2, 2025
First Period
No scoring
Second Period
1:09 ANA Beckett Sennecke from Ryan Poehling
6:38 ANA Sam Colangelo from Drew Helleson and Tyson Hinds
7:55 ANA Cutter Gauthier unassisted
Third Period
0:50 SJS William Eklund from Tyler Toffoli and Will Smith on the power play
5:22 SJS Jeff Skinner from Philipp Kurashev
18:29 ANA Yegor Sidorov from Olen Zellweger and Pavel Mintyukov into the empty net
19:43 ANA Frank Vatrano unassisted into the empty net
