What we learned as Collin Graf scores twice in Sharks' close home loss to Stars originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN JOSE – The Sharks’ recent mini-surge up through the Pacific Division standings in the NHL’s Western Conference was put on pause when the crisp and efficient Dallas Stars handed the West Coast hosts a 5-3 loss on Thursday at SAP Center.
The loss, coming after three consecutive victories and four in five games, prevented San Jose (17-15-3) from matching its longest winning streak of the season.
One of the few things that went right for the boys in Teal was Collin Graf recording his first two-goal game since March 13, 2025. Shakir Mukhamadullin also had a goal for San Jose.
Other than that, it was a mostly forgettable night at The Tank.
The Stars, who beat the Sharks 4-1 on Dec. 5, got an early jump in the rematch, scoring their first goal with 7:35 remaining in the first period. Dallas center Roope Hintz knocked in his 10th goal of the season off an assist from behind the net by Esa Lindell.
The Sharks missed a chance to tie it when Zack Ostapchuk appeared to score his first goal of the season before the Stars (23-7-5) challenged and the score was negated after review due to a high-stick penalty.
Wyatt Johnson’s putback shot after a Miro Heiskanen miss from just inside the blue line with 2:22 left put the Stars ahead 2-0.
Mukhamadullin’s second goal of the season, off an assist from Ty Dellandrea early in the second period, trimmed the Stars’ lead in half.
Johnson’s second goal of the night came on a power play, making it 3-1 before Graf scored off an assist from Macklin Celebrini late in the second.
That little bit of momentum was erased about two and a half minutes later when Dallas’ Justin Hryckowian intercepted a pass near the Sharks’ net and scored his fourth goal of the season on a shot that appeared to hit the crossbar then fell in behind San Jose goalie Alex Nedeljkovic.
Graf’s second goal, an unassisted score early in the third period, cut the Stars’ lead to 4-3. Jamie Benn added an empty-netter with 1:18 remaining to seal the win.
Here are the takeaways from the Sharks’ loss on Thursday:
Slow start hurts again
Early on, the Sharks seemed to be playing in a gear or two lower than the Stars, and Dallas was definitely the grittier of the two teams in the first period, with a pair of steady goals to take command.
Unfortunately for San Jose, that has been one of its biggest drawbacks this season, falling behind early. It hasn’t happened a lot – seven times in the first 34 games of the season before Thursday, when it happened again.
The playbook most of the season against the Sharks has been to try to get an early lead, then hold on. That didn’t work out so well for the Pittsburgh Penguins last Saturday when San Jose rallied for a historic comeback in the third period, but it’s a blueprint that has worked well for most of the Sharks’ opponents, who are now 7-1 when holding the lead after the first period against San Jose.
Ned in goal
With red-hot goalie Yaroslav Askarov getting a rare night off to rest, the Sharks turned to Nedeljkovic in the goal and the veteran net-minder was tested heavily.
The Stars peppered him for 10 shots in each of the three periods. Nedeljkovic made 25 saves, including a pair he was credited with when Dallas’s Mavrik Bourque fired a shot that went through the legs of a San Jose defender and hit off the right sidepost, then deflected off the left one.
Nedeljkovic had won two of his three previous starts but Thursday’s loss dropped his record to 5-7-2 this season.
Mack’s silent night
Even the great ones have an off night every now and then.
The Mack has been one of the best stories in the entire NHL this season, a teenager turning the league into his personal playground while showing the world his potential to be one of the league’s all-time greats.
Against the Stars, though, Celebrini wasn’t able to muster much of an offense and narrowly avoided picking up a goose egg on the stat sheet for the 10th time this season.
The 19-year-old superstar, who had at least one point in each of San Jose’s previous three games and four of the past five, was active early but didn’t handle the puck much until he made a sweet pass to Graf in front of the Stars’ net for San Jose’s second goal. It was Celebrini’s team-leading 34th assist and his 52nd point of the season, second most in the Western Conference.
Celebrini added his 35th assist of the season on Graf’s goal of the game early in the third period. Only the Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid has more assists this season after notching his 38th on Thursday night.