The Teal Report 03/19/2026

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On the San Jose Sharks Audio Network.

The San Jose Sharks Audio Network presents

The Teal Report.

Here's Dan Ruzinowski.

From SAP Center, it's San Jose.

The start of a very short but very important two-game

home stand for the Sharks as they face off

against the Buffalo Sabers for the second and final time

in this regular season.

The Sharks lost to the Sabers six to three in Buffalo

back on the 10th of March.

San Jose is coming off some big wins

on their recent road trip in Montreal and in Boston.

But they're also coming off the recent road losses

in Ottawa and in Edmonton.

They want to clean up some of the things

that they discovered about themselves in those games

to get back on the winning track against a Buffalo team.

That's one of the best teams right now

in the entire National Hockey League.

San Jose right now has 70 points.

They are only one point out of a playoff spot

currently held by the Seattle Kraken

but they have to vault over a couple of teams to get there.

So every game is of vital importance.

Meanwhile the Sabers first place in the Atlantic division

with 90 points, four points ahead of the very talented

Tampa Bay Lightning.

It just goes to show you what kind of a season

that coach Lindy Ruff has gotten out of his players.

Leading score for the Sharks as always,

Maclin set up rainy 35 goals and 60 assists

while on the Buffalo side it's Tage Thompson

who has 34 goals and 36 assists.

One thing that the Sharks definitely feel

that they have to do is finish the job when they take the lead.

Hang on to leads.

Find a way to grind it out.

And Alex Weinberg talked about that this morning.

So I'm going to get a work on,

especially like you said,

the last game of the road trip.

Maybe you're just wanted to go home

but you've got to finish the job.

I mean, it doesn't matter.

I mean, right now the points are so important.

So there's no room to sack a little bit.

So there's something we talked about that we need to improve.

And for us, if you're like,

it doesn't matter if you're home or on a road.

I mean, every game is so important.

Every game we respect in the best

and everyone to show up.

So I feel like that's more of a mindset from game to game

rather than looking at the road trips or like a home stand.

So one game at a time and you just give it all.

Of course, the injuries have piled up.

Weinberg just got back from a one game miss

because of an upper body injury

that he seems to be recovered from.

But Yaroslav Askerov continues to be out of the lineup

and the shark's goal-tending is really relying on Alex Nadelkovich.

That's not a problem as far as Weinberg is concerned.

And he says that dealing with injuries

is just something you have to go through each year.

It's part of the game.

I mean, you never know who's in or not.

I feel like we have such a great amount of players right here.

They can fill up the spot.

So obviously right now, I feel like we're both auto-gaming

in the last game here.

I feel like we had the opportunity to win the game.

And we just kind of came up short.

So I think there's nothing to do with the personal agenda.

I feel like it's just that we just get to find a way

to finish those jobs.

And it's hard to say it was missing right now.

But yeah, we want to race 11.

We want to be a little bit better.

And especially now, this is the best time to show

what you've ever seen.

Weinberg also says there's no real concern

about Yaroslav Askerov missing time.

In fact, all of the injuries the sharks have dealt with,

he says, they've handled pretty well.

Yeah, I mean, for sure.

I mean, people go in and out of line up.

There's the keys players missing.

But I mean, we know the team we have here.

There's no concern.

Like when an ask us out, we know Ned stepping in.

And we know LV is coming as well.

So no issues without it all.

I feel like at the end of the day, we come to get as a group.

We want to play better than we do right now.

And it's all about the mentality.

Nothing to do with this.

We've seen it in the eyes.

We're that good that we think we can finish jobs.

Speaking of injuries, Ty DeLandria is back on the ice.

He's not ready to play yet, but the sight of him out there

in a non-contact orange jersey,

according to Weinberg, is a real step forward.

No, I'm amazing.

I mean, obviously the last game, I think,

is a big part of this as well.

Not only PK face-off, all that.

The way it's acting on the ice, the energy.

So it's really fun to see him back on ice.

And not only that, I mean, obviously,

it's a long injury.

He's working hard.

He used to see him getting back on the ice without skating

or not, and get into that.

I feel like it's tough to be by yourself.

I'm just doing the grind, but it's just fun to have him

in the group as well.

So now let's move on to the Buffalo Sabers game.

On March the 10th, the sharks fell behind

four to one to the Sabers.

Before Kiefer Sherwood gave Santos a some life

with his 20th gold of a season.

Act on holding Ottawa, turning you as right,

giving it out of Weinberg just on.

Weinberg makes a nice move into the corner.

He cuts behind the net.

He's stick handles with the puck.

He's got Ferraro on the point, gives him the play.

Feeds right circle shot.

Score!

Sherwood, a brilliant booming laser shot

off a Ferraro pass, and the sharks are back in this game,

making it four to Kiefer Sherwood with 30.7 seconds left

in the second period.

Unfortunately, that was it for the sharks.

Alex Weinberg had a power play goal in the third period

to make it five to three.

But when it came down to the final analysis,

an empty net goal by Jack Quinn, completing his hat trick,

made the final score 6-3 Buffalo.

Buffalo waxed it around the boards,

and Quinn moved it out to the middle.

Fed forward.

Here's Quinn.

He's got two goals looking for the third,

fired at wide by the empty net.

Set a brainy trying to pick it up,

lost it, taking it back.

Good job there at the near side by the sharks.

But uh oh, Orwoff loses control on the check.

Quinn centers off the stick of set a brainy.

Quinn again, empty net score!

First career hat trick for Jack Quinn.

And the Sabers lead 6-3.

Pobbel Regenda, who did not play the game against the Sabers,

is coming off a strong effort against the Edmonds and Oilers.

He says that the action in the NHL at this time of the season

is really tightening up defensively,

and things are also getting chippy out there.

Yeah, I mean, you know, the game's obviously getting better whole year,

and you know, now it's, uh, I don't know,

15-16 games that they'll, they'll, they'll play off.

So both, like, all the teams, like, trying to, you know,

bring the best they can, and, you know,

have the best form coming to the playoffs,

and you can feel that, you know, the games are really tight,

you're hard, and, you know, those, you know, quality, you know,

playoffs team, which they're always there,

they, you know, it's really hard to play against,

and, you know, uh, yeah.

Well, we, we paid that, like, last couple of games,

and, you know, we just have to figure it out,

and, you know, just go back to our game,

and try to figure out how to play against the teams like that,

and just play, you know, a simple hockey against those guys.

Well, Smith also notices that things are getting awfully

interesting on the ice, with teams trying to take liberties

and not get caught for them.

Every team's playing harder, it's a tight race,

there's five or six teams that are in the line there,

so, um, yeah, everyone's gonna be playing much harder.

Shift to shift, Smith notices a lot of difference

in the way that teams are defending.

And he's just more physical, I think, um, faster.

I think everyone's, like I said, getting ready for the playoffs,

so it's a different level of the game,

and, I think everyone's doing it.

And he notices that Buffalo has a big strong defense

that's mobile, and looked to be a big challenge

for the sharks tonight.

They have a, like, you know, a high dropped bigs,

you know, all guys are huge, you know, strong, uh, good skaters,

so they'll go, obviously, you know,

you just gotta, you know, stick with your plan, you know,

play as a team, pretty simple, and, you know,

it's not only damage, I feel like every, every,

every team we play against, you know, if you go to the net,

and, you know, just send from the goalies to make their,

you know, life's harder, and, you know, uh,

it pays off, you know, if you're right there, you know,

you have more chances score, you have a more chances score,

so, you know, that's my game, and I'm just gonna keep doing that.

And not so on me, like, I feel like a whole team, you know,

the coaches, ones else to do every game, you know,

go more to the net, because that's where the goals are,

and, you know, where the hockey's around, you know, mostly.

And lately, you know, this year's, like, you know,

a lot of goals are scored from the front of the net,

so, uh, yeah, you know, just, uh, really simple,

and, you know, they bring quality, but, you know, of course,

we want to make a play-offs, and we, we go to the game,

like, you know, really ready, and, you know,

try, like, ready to fight for, you know,

photos, points, because, uh, every point matters for us,

and, you know, it's really important.

Given the fact that the sharks have lost a couple of games

in a row, there are going to be some lineup changes.

Alex Nidelkovich will get the start in net,

but will Smith move his auto-align with Alex Wenberg

and Pavel Regenda?

And for his part, he's excited about his combo.

Um, I mean, playing with 1A, I played with him before,

so, you know, he makes a lot of plays,

and I'm ready to put it in the back of the net,

so, I'm excited.

Talking about the Sabers, Smith says

that the speed of Buffalo is the major factor.

Yeah, they're fast, physical.

I'm not sure if they're silly in the East,

but they're up there when we play them,

and, um, yeah, they're a great team.

They haven't had a great year, so we've got to make sure

we're ready to go.

What that means is the sharks have to aggressively defend,

but the forwards also have to help out the defense

and standing up at their blue line.

Pavel Regenda discussed that.

Yeah, nothing, it's not only track, uh, track back,

but it's, like, also, you know, good F3, you know,

playing, you know, like, our system, you know,

we didn't, like, keep our, like, game, you know,

that's what I said all the time.

Like, you know, we stay with our game, you know,

good F3, good returns, good forecheck, you know,

like, hit them on a board so that the D don't jump forward

and they go, like, forward or something.

So, you know, really stick to our structure and, you know,

play the way we are, we're supposed to play, you know,

be physical and have a good F3's, good skating,

and, you know, if we have a good F3, good forecheck, you know,

our D's are, you know, trust, you know, us more,

and we trust them, and then that's why they stick and stay up

and kill the place before they get out of the zone.

So, yeah, you know, just, we didn't know our system,

like, everything's about system and about us, you know,

and that's what coaches say is always, you know,

they're the, how we play and how we are ready for the game,

that's the how the game going to go.

And, you know, if you're mentally ready,

we're 100 percent, we are really strong team.

And head coach Ryan Worcowski gave us some key points

for tonight's game.

It's really just being above them at all times.

You know, it starts on our forecheck in the offensive zone.

You know, if we can slow this team down coming out of their end,

we'll slow them down.

If we don't, that's when they want to get to that track

meets style of hockey.

So, it's really everyone doing their job on our forecheck,

one, two, three, our two defensemen,

we're in jerseys, we're on top of them,

we're not giving them 15 feet of space.

That will be the biggest thing tonight.

It's the sharks and the sabers.

We're on the air at 630 Pacific time with all the action.

Scott Hennon is with me on the call.

I'm Debra Sinowski, that's the Teal Report today.

For the complete Teal Report and more great sharks content,

go to sjsharks.com slash listen.