Six weeks after he suffered a fractured cheekbone, goalie Vitek Vanecek appears to be getting close to a return as he’s been skating with the Sharks in recent days and, per coach Ryan Warsofsky, is now considered day-to-day,

Chased by champs

Sharks starting goalie Alexandar Georgiev, in a shaky performance, was pulled at the 3:01 mark of the second period after allowing four goals on 15 shots. Yaroslav Askarov came on in relief and but did not fare much better, as he allowed three goals on 16 shots.

Guarding goal Tuesday

The struggling Pittsburgh Penguins look to regain their scoring touch when they visit the San Jose Sharks on Monday. The Penguins are 3-7-3 in their last 13 games, and are ahead of only the Buffalo Sabres in the Eastern Conference standings.

San Jose Sharks goaltender Alexandar Georgiev (40) cannot stop a goal by New York Islanders center Brock Nelson during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin) San Jose Sharks center Nico ...

Welcome back to NHL Predictions! Today, like every day, Last Word on Hockey looks at the games happening and gives our predictions for each. We’ll also break down head-to-head matchups and other factors that may play a part.

Defenseman Aaron Ekblad had a goal and an assist in his return from an upper-body injury and the Florida Panthers routed the San Jose Sharks 7-2 on Saturday night.

James van Riemsdyk scored twice and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the San Jose Sharks 4-1 to extend their win streak to six games — their longest since January 2020.

The Florida Panthers sure bounced back from their blown lead in Los Angeles in a big way on Saturday. Skating against the struggling San Jose Sharks, Florida was dominant for much of the night, eventually earning an impressive 7-2 victory.

The Sharks led 4-2 midway through the third period before the Red Wings scored off a set play on a faceoff against Celebrini’s line with Toffoli and Eklund. Dylan Larkin controlled the draw against Celebrini inside the Sharks’ zone and quickly got the puck over to Lucas Raymond, who beat Georgiev to cut San Jose’s lead to one at the 9:56 mark.

The San Jose Sharks enjoyed a rare offensive outburst ... Macklin Celebrini also had two assists each, and goalie Alexandar Georgiev made 25 saves for just his second win in a Sharks uniform.