Rutta notched an assist and went minus-2 in Thursday's 8-1 loss to the Lightning.
Rutta has two helpers over his last six games. The 34-year-old defenseman has three assists, a minus-7 rating, 30 shots on net, 26 hits, 41 blocked shots and 16 PIM through 29 outings overall. He's playing on the third pairing with no power-play usage and an average of 16:54 of ice time per game, so there's virtually no fantasy appeal in his role.
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Sharks' Alexander Wennberg: Prevents shutout Thursday
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Wennberg scored a goal and blocked two shots in Thursday's 8-1 loss to the Lightning.
Wennberg was one of four Sharks to avoid finishing the game with a negative plus-minus rating. His tally 14 seconds into the third period broke up Andrei Vasilevskiy's shutout bid, though it was far too late to change the result. Wennberg has four goals and four assists over his last 10 outings, a remarkable run of offense for a middle-six center on a weak team. He's up to seven goals, 15 points, 37 shots on net, 30 blocked shots and a minus-5 rating over 29 appearances.
Blackwood allowed three goals on 24 shots in relief Thursday after entering the 8-1 loss to Tampa Bay to start the second period.
Vitek Vanecek was mercy pulled after allowing five goals on 12 shots in the first period. Blackwood was already earning the majority of starts, and that could tick up even more given Vanecek's recent performances. Blackwood entered the game with a .909 save percentage and 2.94 GAA. in 16 starts vs Vanecek's .894 and 3.52 in 10 starts.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: Mercy pull after one period
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Vanecek surrendered five goals on 12 shots in the first period of Thursday's game against Tampa Bay and was replaced by Mackenzie Blackwood to start the second period.
The Lightning struck five times in the first, including three in a span of 1:26. It was a mercy pull for Vanecek. His team was awful, and he struggled mightily, too. Vanecek came into the game with just three wins, 3.52 GAA and .894 save percentage. He could start to see a decline in starts given Blackwood's superior numbers.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: First off ice Thursday
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Vanecek was the first goaltender off the ice during morning skate and is slated to patrol the visiting crease in Tampa Bay on Thursday, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports.
Vanecek has not been effective between the pipes this season, as he is 3-5-1 with a 3.52 GAA and an .894 save percentage. He is currently the backup to Mackenzie Blackwood on the Sharks depth chart, and Vanecek's job could be in peril, as the Sharks' goaltender of the future, Yaroslav Askarov, is making a case for a spot on the NHL roster given his 7-3-1 record with a 1.91 GAA and a .940 save percentage at AHL San Jose. Vanecek will take on the Lightning, who are second in NHL scoring, averaging 3.74 goals per game.
Toffoli scored a goal on three shots and added two hits in Tuesday's 2-1 overtime win over the Capitals.
Toffoli had been limited to two assists over the previous seven contests. The winger snapped his goal drought with one minute left in the first period, earning his 10th tally of the season. He's up to 18 points, 83 shots on net, 20 hits and a minus-8 rating across 28 appearances. Toffoli is playing steady in a top-six role and should continue to offer decent scoring production.
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Sharks' Mackenzie Blackwood: Stifles Caps offense
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Blackwood made 27 saves Tuesday in s 2-1 win over Washington.
Blacky made some great saves in the first period and then locked the net down after Nic Dowd's goal at 13:02 of the second. Otherwise, he flat-out stifled the Caps offense Tuesday, especially as San Jose had to kill off three penalties. Blackwood has won two straight games, and he has a .909 save percentage in 19 appearances this season.
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Sharks' Macklin Celebrini: Lauded as NHL's First Star of Week
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Celebrini picked up a power-play assist in Tuesday's 2-1 overtime win over the Capitals.
The assist pushed Celebrini's point streak to five games (four goals, four assists). He was named the NHL's First Star of the Week on Monday with four goals and three assists in his previous four games. Celebrini has 15 points, including eight goals, and 51 shots in just 16 outings in 2024-25, and it's sometimes easy to forget that he won't turn 19 until June. His flair with the puck has made Sharks' games must-watch hockey.
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Sharks' William Eklund: On career pace
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Eklund scored a power-play goal in overtime to lift the Sharks to a 2-1 victory over the Capitals on Tuesday.
Eklund won it with a one-timer from the right circle while the Caps' Tom Wilson was still in the box after taking a double-minor at 17:43 of the third period. It was his first goal in eight games. Eklund sits second on the Sharks scoring list with 23 points (five goals, 18 shots) in 27 games. At his current pace, he is well on his way to career highs in points (70), assists (55), power-play points (18) and shots (146). Eklund's previous highs in those categories were 45 points, 29 assists, 16 power-play points and 128 shots.
Vlasic (back) could play during the team's six-game road trip after head coach Ryan Warsofsky told reporters Tuesday, "He's close. He practiced obviously yesterday, he'll practice tomorrow and then we'll circle back," per Tom Gulitti of NHL.com.
Vlasic won't be an option to face the Capitals on Tuesday but looks close to getting back into action before the Sharks return home and face Utah on Dec. 14. Once the veteran blueliner does get the green light, he figures to replace Jan Rutta in the lineup, though Henry Thrun could also be in danger of being dropped.
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Sharks' Mackenzie Blackwood: First off at morning skate
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Blackwood is slated to start on the road against the Capitals on Tuesday, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now.
Blackwood has posted a 5-8-3 record, .904 save percentage and 3.06 GAA through 16 appearances. The Ontario native bounced back in his last start, stopping 36 of 38 shots in a 4-2 win over Seattle after losing three consecutive prior contests. Blackwood will have his hands full against a Washington team that's put up a league-best 4.21 goals per game through 24 outings.
Dellandrea produced an assist in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Kraken.
Dellandrea snapped his six-game point drought with the helper. The 24-year-old forward is up to four points, 21 shots on net and 54 hits through 23 appearances this season, and he missed four games due to a hand injury. He hasn't been scratched, but he also hasn't been that productive when he plays. Dellandrea is likely to remain in a bottom-six role, giving him limited scoring upside.
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Sharks' Timothy Liljegren: Point streak at four games
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Liljegren notched an assist and went plus-2 in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Kraken.
Liljegren has gotten on the scoresheet in four straight games, earning two goals and two assists in that span. The defenseman is up to five points through 16 outings this season, and he's added 21 hits, 21 blocked shots and 27 shots on net. Liljegren is holding onto a second-pairing role, and if he can stay consistent on offense, he'll be an option in fantasy as a depth blueliner.
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Sharks' Klim Kostin: Adds helper Saturday
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Kostin notched an assist and went plus-2 in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Kraken.
Kostin doesn't want to go back to the press box -- he has four points, 12 hits and nine PIM during a three-game point streak. The 25-year-old hadn't found any success on offense until this recent stretch. He's currently seeing third-line minutes, though the Sharks have a number of depth forwards who can rotate in and out of the lineup. Kostin is at least somewhat proven, having posted double-digit points and triple-digit hits in each of the last two campaigns.
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Sharks' Macklin Celebrini: Sends assist in win
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Celebrini notched an assist and went plus-2 in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Kraken.
Celebrini extended his point streak to four games (four goals, three assists) when he set up Cody Ceci's second-period tally. The helper put Celebrini at 14 points, 47 shots on net and a minus-2 rating through 15 appearances. Despite missing 12 games due to an injury earlier in the season, he ranks third in points among rookies, trailing just Matvei Michkov (19) and Logan Stankoven (15). Celebrini is the real deal, and he's already made the Sharks a more exciting team in 2024-25 than they were for much of 2023-24.
