Sharks' recent tailspin reaches unusual new low in loss to Buffalo Sabres

Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News on Mar 20, 2026

Published in Hockey

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SAN JOSE, Calif. – It wasn’t necessarily a surprise to see the San Jose Sharks lose to the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.

But the way the Sharks lost to the NHL’s hottest team over the last four months was one for the history books.

The Sharks allowed goals on four consecutive shots – three in the middle of the second period and one early in the third — in a strange 5-0 loss to the Sabres before an announced sellout crowd of 17,435 at SAP Center.

The Sharks and goalie Alex Nedeljkovic allowed goals to Noah Ostlund, Sam Carrick, and Rasmus Dahlin in a span of 1:43 in the second period when the Sabres scored on every shot they took.

Then, on a Sabres 2-on-1, Tage Thompson beat Nedeljkovic just 40 seconds into the third period for his 35th goal of the season and a 4-0 lead.

Per the Associated Press, the only other team in the last 11 seasons to allow three or more goals in a period without a save was the Boston Bruins on April 10, 2025 in a game against the Chicago Blackhawks, who scored four goals on four shots in the third period, with the fourth goal coming on an empty net, before earning a 5-2 win.

Nedeljkovic finished with 11 saves, with five coming in the first period, and the Sharks were unable to beat Sabres goalie Alex Lyon at the other end despite 23 shots on goal as they lost their third straight game and were shut out for the third time this season.

Sharks winger Tyler Toffoli left the game after the first period for undisclosed reasons. Toffoli entered Thursday third on the Sharks in scoring with 44 points in 66 games.

The Sharks, now 4-4-2 this month, host the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday afternoon.

The Sharks were also no match for the Sabres last week in Buffalo, allowing two goals in the opening 5:39 of the first period, two more in the second period, and an especially deflating one early in the third in a 6-3 loss at KeyBank Center.

The game started a Sharks’ road trip that saw them go 2-3-0, remain one point out of a playoff spot, and fall to 10th in the Western Conference before Thursday’s game. During the trip, the Sharks scored 18 goals but allowed 22, including six on a man-advantage in a 7-4 loss to the Ottawa Senators last Sunday and five in a two-goal loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.

Starting on Dec. 9, the Sabres compiled the NHL’s best record at 31-6-2 as they transformed from also-rans to the top team in the Atlantic Division. In that time, they scored an average of 3.77 goals per game, second-most in the league behind the Tampa Bay Lightning (3.92).

Conversely, the Sharks, since that time, have allowed a league-worst 3.75 goals per game, but still managed a 18-15-3 record to remain in the playoff conversation.

Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said the Sabres, “transition to offense quickly, get vertical quickly, try to get above you quickly. So we’ve got to stay on top of them. We’ve got to hunt pucks. We’ve got to get on our toes and then play through people.

“It’s the same recipe at the end of the day. But we’ve got to be certainly aware, more so than ever, about how vertical they get in their rushes.”