Max Miller
The San Jose Sharks start their season 1-0 after defeating the Florida Panthers 4-3 in overtime at SAP Center on Thursday.
Luca Cagnoni scored his first NHL goal in his 10th game for the overtime winner. Will Smith had two goals and one assist, Macklin Celebrini had three assists, and Mason Marchment scored his first goal in Teal.
Here are three takeaways from the incredible atmosphere at the SAP Center.
1. Smith is going to pop off in 26-27
Will Smith looked like an unstoppable force for the San Jose Sharks tonight. His two goals were both pretty ones, including one shorthanded, but what really stood out was his ability to win board battles. The Sharks forward came into the season bigger and faster, and it showed.
Smith won a board battle before Celebrini found Marchment to give the Sharks a 1-0 lead in the first. That play perfectly represented his improvements.
“We talked about it before the game, just forechecking,” Smith said. They’re a big team, so we want to make sure we’re battling down low. Then Mush obviously picked it up and sifted one through there.”
Smith also added another element to his game, penalty killing. Although he likely won’t be a main feature on the PK, Ryan Warsofsky has clearly shown trust in Smith’s ability to be responsible in those situations. During a four-minute double minor penalty, the Sharks’ head coach trusted Smith and Celebrini to get the job done, and they scored.
2. Luca Cagnoni is ready to roll
In a physical game, San Jose Sharks defenseman Luca Cagnoni hung in there with no trouble. Despite being considered undersized, the physical play didn’t faze the young blue liner. He took hits to make plays and earned the overtime winner.
“Pretty unreal. Probably the best goal of my life. Hard to write one better than an overtime winner,” Cagnoni said postgame. “People dream of playing Chel and stuff like that. I feel like I reenacted that a couple times, but (it’s an) unreal feeling.”
Coach Warsofsky noted how hard Cagnoni worked over the offseason and in training camp to earn this position.
“We saw it all training camp. We saw it when he played last year with us at the end of the year. He’s a guy that can make plays,” Warsofsky said. “He doesn’t look like the moment’s ever too big for him. He just plays. He’s got a calm demeanor about him, and he’s got a unique skill set where he can really see the ice extremely well at a high rate. That’s what makes him dangerous.”
Cagnoni, a 4th-round pick, has earned his stripes while awaiting a big opportunity. The young defenseman said he plans to give the first-goal puck to his parents.
After the game, Celebrini told reporters what Cagnoni meant to the team.
“It’s amazing. I mean, we’re all so happy for him. It wasn’t just the goal or the points that he put up today. I think it was just the way he was skating, making plays, keeping pucks alive. It was really cool to watch,” Celebrini said.
3. Yaroslav Askarov looks ready to take over
At no point in the game did the San Jose Sharks look like they were in trouble because of their goalie. Yaroslav Askarov was great in the opening-night start, making 23 saves. While giving up three goals isn’t ideal, you can’t put a single one on him.
The weak goals that plagued the Sharks goalie last season didn’t happen, despite similar plays. He stayed on his feet longer and didn’t always drop into his butterfly. He made the saves he was supposed to and then some.
Askarov also made a few late-game saves, including a big one during a penalty kill.
“He made some really big saves. The one on the power play on the backside slides over, but it’s the other ones. It’s the ones that are the down-low plays when it’s tied three-three, and he squeezes it, and he makes a heck of a save off a couple bad bounces, but he makes a save,” Warsofsky said. “Those are the ones that are critical, and he did a really good job tonight.”
One thing to note with Askarov is the significantly improved ability to swallow the puck and get a whistle. Zone times were cut short for the Panthers on multiple occasions because Askarov could hold onto the puck and get a whistle.
HM: Holiday returns as San Jose Sharks goal song
An honorable mention for tonight’s game is the goal song choice. With Power Bite gone, the Sharks turned to an old friend for the goal song, Green Day. Their song, “Holiday,” returned to the Shark Tank for the first time since the 2006-07 season.
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