Sharks lose regular season home finale to NHL's last place team

Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News on Apr 12, 2026

Published in Hockey

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SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Sharks will likely not be turning their attention toward next season as long as they remain mathematically alive for a playoff spot this year – which might not be for much longer.

Still, it’s not too hard to peek into the future and envision Igor Chernyshov playing on the Sharks’ top line alongside Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith in the team’s 2026-27 season opener this fall.

Chernyshov was back with Celebrini and Smith for the Sharks’ final regular-season home game on Saturday and had his second career two-goal game in what became a 4-3 shootout loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Fan Appreciation Night at SAP Center.

Celebrini was the only Sharks player to beat Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen in six shootout rounds. Linus Karlsson, a third-round draft pick by the Sharks in 2018, was one of two Vancouver players to beat goalie Yaroslav Askarov, as the Sharks lost for the fourth time in five games (1-3-1).

The Sharks led 3-2 on Chernyshov’s second goal at the 12:44 mark of the third period, but allowed a game-tying power play goal to Teddy Blueger with 3:00 left in regulation time.

The Sharks went 2-for-4 on the penalty kill for the game, and are 7-for-18 on the man disadvantage over the last six games.

Tyler Toffoli also scored, and Askarov made 38 saves as the Sharks ended the season with a 21-14-6 record at home, a nine-win improvement over last year (12-27-2).

Still, with the overtime loss, the Sharks’ tragic number for playoff elimination was reduced to two. With 82 points, the Sharks are now five points back of the Los Angeles Kings for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference. Both the Sharks and Kings have three games left.

The Sharks are also four points behind the ninth-place Nashville Predators, who have two games left. The first is on Monday at home against the Sharks, who finish the regular season on a three-game road trip, with other stops in Chicago on Wednesday and Winnipeg on Thursday.

The Sharks had less than a 3% chance to make the postseason before their game on Saturday, per moneypuck.com.

The Sharks allowed second-period goals to Marco Rossi — on a bizarre play – and Jake DeBrusk on a Canucks power play as the two teams entered the third period tied 2-2.

On Rossi’s goal, Canucks defenseman Victor Mancini sent the puck the length of the ice. Askarov went out to play the puck after icing was waved off. But ge didn’t get to it in time as it went off the boards right to Rossi, who shot the puck into the abandoned net, as Askarov knocked over the net.

Chernyshov opened the scoring in the first period.

Celebrini controlled a faceoff in the Canucks’ zone and got the puck to Chernyshov, who went forehand to backhand to beat goalie Kevin Lankinen at the 16:19 mark of the first period.

The goal came two nights after Chernyshov was a healthy scratch in San Jose’s 6-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks.

With the Sharks inside the Canucks’ zone, Chernyshov, on his second goal, took a pass from Celebrini and beat goalie Lankinen glove side with a wrist shot from the slot for his seventh goal in 25 NHL games this season.