SAN JOSE, Calif. - The Florida Panthers, still riding the momentum of a buzzer-beating overtime win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Opening Night, face a San Jose Sharks team Thursday that coach Paul Maurice says is no longer the pushover it once was.
The game at SAP Center tips off at 10 p.m. and airs locally on Scripps Sports. It is the Panthers’ second game of the season and the first of two meetings this year, with the rematch scheduled at Florida on Feb. 21.
The Panthers’ respect for San Jose is grounded in recent results. Florida went 0-2 against the Sharks last season after running up 10 straight wins over the previous five seasons. The last Panthers loss to San Jose before that skid came on Dec. 1, 2017, when Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski were still in the lineup. “Lots of speed. An awful lot of skill,” Maurice said of the current Sharks roster, noting the two losses last season specifically.
At the center of San Jose’s rise is Macklin Celebrini, who posted 45 goals and 115 points last season to finish fourth in NHL scoring. The 18-year-old phenom, now entering his third season, was named team captain this offseason to replace the retired Logan Couture and signed a five-year contract extension worth $18.8 million per season - making him the second-highest paid player in the NHL. Rising forward Will Smith, drafted fourth overall in 2023, added 24 goals last season. Celebrini and Smith were the only Sharks regulars to finish with a positive plus-minus rating.
Despite the individual talent, San Jose has missed the playoffs for seven straight seasons, though the Sharks were just four points out of a playoff spot last year. The offseason additions of defensemen Jacob Trouba and Darnell Nurse are aimed at fixing a defense that ranked 30th in the NHL last season, allowing 3.54 goals per game. Goaltenders Yaroslav Askarov and Alex Nedeljkovic both finished last season with save percentages below .900. “They got bigger, they got heavier, they all play a hard game,” Maurice said. “[Opponents] are not intimidating any of them. That part of the game that complements skills so very well.”
Maurice also praised the Sharks’ front-office thinking. “When you get the right kind of young people then your plan speeds up,” he said. “When you don’t have to shelter them as much, then there’s a time to go out and get some veteran players…Credit to the young players that play the game the right way. Very creative. Very dynamic. They don’t cheat the game….They’re legit.”
Coach Ryan Warsofsky, who received a two-year contract extension from GM Mike Grier, faces pressure to push the Sharks into playoff contention this season. Florida leads the all-time regular season series 25-15-1 with seven ties. The Panthers’ next game after Thursday is Sunday at the Anaheim Ducks at 8 p.m., as reported by Florida Hockey Now.