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San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (David Gonzales-Imagn Images)

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3 Takeaways From Sharks’ Loss to Oilers

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Sean Rinn | Last updated Oct 10, 2026 8:05 PM ET

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Macklin Celebrini returned to the Sharks lineup, but San Jose fell to the Edmonton Oilers in a 3-1 loss at home.

With Tristan Jarry in net for the Oilers, who has struggled since playing in Edmonton and let in six goals in his opening game against the Vancouver Canucks, the Sharks failed to put volume on the net. Twenty shots were not good enough.

Over the course of the first two periods, the Sharks outplayed the Oilers, showcasing a much improved defensive effort than what they are used to. Mattias Ekholm scored on a slap shot with a screen in front to beat Yaroslav Askarov, which gave Edmonton the opening goal in the first period.

In the second, the Sharks didn’t give up a shot on net for the first half of the period and held momentum going into the third period. Unfortunately for San Jose, a familiar wart reappeared in their game.

Third Period Struggles Continue

The Sharks’ biggest weakness is no longer their blue line like it has been in years past. It is the problematic trend that they haven’t been able to shake yet: they come out flat in third periods.

San Jose had momentum, having outplayed Edmonton overall when the puck dropped in the third, but two quick goals by the Oilers effectively put the game out of reach.

The first goal was scored by Vasily Podkolzin at 3:13 in the third. Michael Misa was caught puck-watching, setting up Podkolzin to comfortably crank a one-timer past Askarov on a perfect pass by Connor McDavid.

Then at 5:40, Alex Formenton slipped past Sharks defensemen Michael Kesselring and Jacob Trouba for a breakaway to score his first goal of the season.

Credit the Sharks for not quitting. Celebrini scored his first goal of the season and his first as a captain to end Jarry’s shutout, but their efforts in the end were too little and too late.

Celebrini Shakes Off The Rust In Return

Celebrini returned from a lower-body injury, playing his first game since San Jose’s overtime win against the Los Angeles Kings on Oct. 3.

For most of the game, the Sharks captain looked like he was shaking off rust. He was working through uncharacteristic miscues on passes and turnovers for most of the game, but did have shifts where he popped like his usual self.

In the waning seconds of the second period, Celebrini completely beat Jarry, firing a wicked shot that blasted off the post. Then in the third, he ripped one home on a feed by Mason Marchment, who won a puck battle on the boards, to score San Jose’s lone goal.

Celebrini has six points so far in three games with a goal and five assists.

Encouraging Defensive Effort

Aside from two unfortunate blunders in the third period, the Sharks played well defensively for most of the game. Alex Wennberg, Ivar Stenberg and Kiefer Sherwood did an admirable job challenging the always-lethal combination of Leon Draisaitl and McDavid.

Stenberg has been impressive to start his career, showing maturity not just in his highly touted offensive skill set, but also in his defensive responsibilities. He has already demonstrated an excellent IQ that should earn him more minutes and potentially a crack at playing in the top six.

Sherwood continues to hit everything that moves, leading the entire NHL in hits entering the game, adding six to his total.

Darnell Nurse played strong defensively in his first game facing Edmonton after playing the first 798 games of his career as an Oiler.

Kesselring and Luca Cagnoni also played well, helping build offensive momentum. Kesselring has been a great addition for the Sharks so far, being a reliable presence on the back end while helping the offense break out with his plus skating and shot. Cagnoni has earned his promotion out of the American Hockey League thus far, playing smart with the puck and also being reliable in his end.

Sam Dickinson had a game he can build on. He limited mistakes and was better about preventing dangerous chances, while also flashing offensive aggressiveness with well-executed passes.

Following a season where he was thrust into the top defensive pairing, Dmitry Orlov has struggled so far this season. He is simply making too many turnovers. Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky should consider giving Orlov a game off to give him a reset, giving Nolan Allan another look.

The Sharks will host the Boston Bruins on Oct. 13 before a six-game East Coast road trip.

This article first appeared on The Hockey Writers and was syndicated with permission.

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