SAN JOSE – Getting some point production from their defense corps will no doubt benefit the San Jose Sharks as they try to finish what’s left of this season on a positive note.
That and some solid goaltending gave the Sharks a chance to beat the playoff-bound Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night.
Mario Ferraro had two assists and Jack Thompson scored his fourth goal of the season, but a second-period goal by Jeff Skinner was the difference as the Oilers handed the Sharks a 3-2 loss before an announced crowd of 14,152 at SAP Center.
On the play, a faceoff in the Sharks’ zone got back to Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard, whose unblocked shot toward the net was redirected by Skinner’s skate past San Jose goalie Georgi Romanov at the 14:57 mark of the second period.
“We lose coverage on the back side with our defenseman not boxing out,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “Then a young player in Cam (Lund) just doesn’t get out there quick enough and extend his stick. It’s a detail that you probably get away with in college, but not at this level. So it’s something he’ll learn from.”
Romanov finished with 35 saves, and Tyler Toffoli scored his 28th goal of the season, but the Sharks, despite a better overall performance than recent lopsided results against the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings, lost their fourth straight game.
“Pretty good effort. We would like to get one there in the third. We had a lot of chances,” Ferraro said. “For the most part, we were pretty on top of them. Just couldn’t find a way to get that extra one to tie it up late.”
Connor Brown and Victor Arvidsson also scored for the Oilers, who played the second half of the game without the NHL’s leading scorer, Leon Draisaitl. The Oilers center, who has 52 goals this season, left the game in the second period with a lower-body injury.
In the 11 games since they traded defenseman Jake Walman, the Sharks have only managed three goals and 12 assists from their defensemen. But against the Oilers, the Sharks’ blue line seemed to activate a little more to create some odd-man opportunities.
That was the case on Toffoli’s goal at the 8:48 mark of the second period. Ferraro joined the rush and took a pass from Macklin Celebrini on a 3-on-2 and found Toffoli, who tied the game 2-2.
“Every team wants to get some production off the back side,” Warsofsky said. “It’s important that we get guys up in the rush a little bit more, so it’s not just a three-man rush. If you look at rush teams that have a lot of offenses, it’s coming from the back with a fourth wave, and that’s something that we’ve got to continue to work on.”
Thompson was recalled from the Barracuda on Monday after defenseman Luca Cagnoni and forward Patrick Giles were returned to the AHL. The Sharks also lost defenseman Vincent Desharnais to an upper-body injury late last week.
Warsofsky said young offensive defensemen have a tendency to play a bit too conservatively when they get to the NHL, instead of playing to their strengths.
Thompson, who spent most of March in the AHL and had five points in his last four games with the Barracuda, tried to heed that advice.
“I’m definitely trying to learn that, and trying to continue to grow that side when I’m up here, is to make plays and not feel nervous to make a mistake,” Thompson said. “I’m trying to learn still, but I think (Thursday was) a step in the right direction.”
MUKHAMADULLIN OUT: Shakir Mukhamadullin did not play Thursday, and it remains unclear whether the injured Sharks rookie defenseman will be able to return this season.
Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said Thursday that Mukhamadullin was still being evaluated after he sustained an upper-body injury early in the third period of the team’s game against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.
It’s unclear if Mukhamadullin will be able to return this season. The Sharks, already officially eliminated from playoff contention, now have just seven games remaining with their last game on April 16 at home, also against Edmonton.
Early in the third period of Tuesday’s game at Honda Center, Mukhamadullin collided with Troy Terry in the neutral zone, knocking down the Ducks forward. Mukhamadullin was met by Anaheim winger Frank Vatrano, who dropped his stick, threw his gloves down, grabbed the Sharks blueliner, and dragged him to the ice.
With Muhamadullin unavailable, left-shot defenseman Henry Thrun returned to the Sharks’ lineup for the first time since March 8 when he re-aggravated an upper-body injury in a game against the New York Islanders. Thrun, who has missed 13 of the last 14 games, has been skating recently but did not go through a full-contact Sharks practice before Thursday.
GEORGIEV HURT: Sharks starting goalie Alexandar Georgiev has an upper-body injury and did not play against the Oilers. The injury, though, is not considered serious, as Georgiev skated Thursday morning. Georgi Romanov started against the Oilers, and Gabriel Carriere, recalled from the Barracuda on Thursday, backed him up.
Yaroslav Askarov, who re-aggravated a lower-body injury before Wednesday’s Barracuda game against Ontario and did not play, traveled with the team to Colorado and is available to play with the Sharks’ AHL affiliate on Friday and Saturday. Askarov hasn’t played since Feb. 19 when he first sustained the injury.
HOMECOMING: Thursday marked Walman and Ty Emberson’s first game back in San Jose since being traded by the Sharks. Walman was sent to Edmonton just before the trade deadline last month for a conditional 2026 first-round pick, and Emberson went to the Oilers last summer in the deal that brought defenseman Cody Ceci and a 2025 third-round pick to San Jose.
Originally Published: April 3, 2025 at 10:06 PM PDT
