TORONTO — In a thrilling finish, Fabian Zetterlund secured victory for the San Jose Sharks during the fourth round of a shootout, overturning a two-goal deficit in the third period to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 on Monday night. The win snaps San Jose’s eight-game losing streak.
Contributions came from Tyler Toffoli and Jack Thompson, who scored in regulation for the Sharks, the team currently positioned at the bottom of the standings. Alexander Wennberg supported with two assists while goalie Alexandar Georgiev protected the net with 25 saves across the game’s 65 minutes.
For Toronto, John Tavares notched a goal and an assist, and Matthew Knies found the back of the net as well. Anthony Stolarz, the Maple Leafs’ goaltender, registered 20 saves but Toronto’s five-game winning run came to an end with this dramatic shootout loss.
A notable moment arrived when forward Calle Jarnkrok returned to the ice for the first time in the 2024-25 season, marking his milestone 700th regular-season appearance. Jarnkrok had been sidelined due to a training camp injury, followed by groin and sports hernia surgeries in November.
The game denotes significant instances for both teams. For the Maple Leafs, this was their first game at Scotiabank Arena since February 22, and they now embark on another sequence of away games that keeps them out of Toronto until March 13, implying just one home game in 18 days.
On the Sharks’ side, Timothy Liljegren played against his former team for the first time since being traded to San Jose in October. Drafted 17th overall in 2017 by Toronto, Liljegren accumulated 75 points over 243 games with the Leafs but never fully claimed a consistent defensive role.
A pivotal moment occurred in the third round of the shootout when William Nylander scored for Toronto, which was quickly matched by Toffoli. Ultimately, Zetterlund’s success against Toronto’s Tavares, who was halted by Georgiev, sealed the win for San Jose.
In terms of rookie achievements, Macklin Celebrini remains a standout figure. Despite missing 12 games due to a hip injury, the 18-year-old forward trails only behind Montreal Canadiens’ defenseman Lane Hutson in rookie scoring, amassing 44 points across 50 games. He was the Sharks’ top pick in the 2024 draft.
The Sharks will look to maintain their momentum as they continue their extensive seven-game road trip on Tuesday against the Sabres. Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs set off on their three-game roadslaught starting Wednesday against the Golden Knights.
