Follow me on Twitter: @BenShelley_20\rFollow HockeyBuzz Sharks Twitter: @HB_Sharks\r \r \rThe San Jose Sharks fell short in their comeback against the Pittsburgh Penguins today, losing 8-5. \r \r

The third-period fight from this team. #SJSharks pic.twitter.com/gIXSYlbuzk
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) January 2, 2022

\rThe Sharks got off to a disastrous start, as Evan Rodrigues made a nice move to get by Radim Simek on a rush and beat James Reimer with a nice shot only a minute into the game. Then just two minutes later, Jake Guentzel took a pass from Bryan Rust and he managed to sneak a shot through Reimer. Pittsburgh wasn’t done there, as Danton Heinen put a nice pass to Rodrigues who went to the backhand to beat Reimer for his second goal of the game. Then two minutes after that, Bryan Rust took a loose puck in front and put a shot through Reimer, making it 4-0 Penguins just over six minutes into the game. \r \rThe Sharks got one back later, with Alexander Barabanov knocking down a puck and tucking it past Casey DeSmith, but Kasper Bjorkvist scored his first NHL goal later in the frame and Bryan Rust made it 6-1 before the period was through. \r \rNeedless to say, it was an absolute disaster of a first period, with San Jose getting off to just about the worst start possible. James Reimer didn’t get much help but he was also terrible and couldn’t stop pucks that were put right at him.\r \rZach Sawchenko came in for the second period and made some nice saves to help stop the bleeding. While the Sharks did still give up quality chances in the second frame, they managed to pick up a second goal from Brent Burns, who got a hard shot through traffic on a power play.\r \rThe third period was where things got interesting. Just 20 seconds into the frame, Matt Nieto took a shot that missed the net but Casey DeSmith completely mishandled the bounce back off the boards and knocked it into his own net. Then a few minutes after that, Erik Karlsson managed to find the net with a point shot through traffic, pulling the Sharks to within two goals. San Jose wasn’t done there, as Timo Meier put a cross-crease pass to Logan Couture who scored on the open net before DeSmith could get over. \r \rJust four minutes into the third period, the Sharks registered three goals, bringing it back to a 6-5 game with lots of time to go.\r \rAfter that, we saw a bit of a back-and-forth third period, which was entertaining at the very least. DeSmith looked so shaky throughout the period that it seemed like anything that went on net had a chance to go in.\r \rHowever, Matt Nieto took a late penalty and the Penguins capitalized to increase the lead to 7-5, with Rodrigues picking a corner for his first NHL hat trick. Then with just about 10 seconds remaining, Bryan Rust picked up a hat trick of his own, scoring on an empty net. \r \rWhile the Sharks tried hard to battle back, you’re rarely going to be able to recover when you go down five goals in the first period. In all fairness, while the score ended up decently close and the Sharks certainly got their share of chances, they also just weren’t the better team. DeSmith had a poor night to allow the goals he did (though the same could certainly be said about Reimer). \r \rHuge credit to Zach Sawchenko, who came into the game for the back 40 minutes in what was his first NHL game. He played great and while I'm not sure that his performance will warrant much more action with the team in the immediate future, he was impressive in the loss.\r \rThe Sharks’ next game will come on Tuesday against the Detroit Red Wings. \r \r \r \r***NOTE: We've launched a HockeyBuzz Sharks Twitter account! For anyone interested, you can follow @HB_Sharks for updates on articles, Sharks news, etc.***\r \rsupersurvey.com\r

","highlights","status","PUBLISHED","featuredImage","/img/legacy/sj-logonew-544x306.jpg","imageCaption","seo",{"_379":894,"_895":896,"_897":898,"_904":905,"_906":890},"Sharks' comeback falls short in 8-5 loss to Penguins","excerpt","Follow me on Twitter: @BenShelley_20 Follow HockeyBuzz Sharks Twitter: @HB_Sharks The San Jose Sharks fell short in their comeback against the Pittsburgh Penguins today, losing","keyInfo",[899,902],{"_62":313,"_58":900,"_60":901},"team","san-jose-sharks",{"_62":239,"_58":900,"_60":903},"pittsburgh-penguins","contentLength",851,"defaultImage","pageViews","1","commentCount","0","categoryFilter",{"_913":914,"_915":916},"property","specs.tag","values",[917],"sharks","slugUrl","lock","categoryId","userReactions",[],"reactionSummary",[],"feedPageFilterOptionsNew","feedPageFilterOptions","feedPageHeading","feedPageHeadingLineTwo","feedPageTitle","feedPageDescription","prohibitComments","prohibitReactions","hideFeaturedImage","advancedOptions","feedBorderOverrideColor","pinnedOn","feedBlurb","tag","Sharks","specs",[942,943,944],{"_7":938,"_753":917},{"_7":900,"_753":901},{"_7":900,"_753":903},"isPremium","isWarning","isTertiary","hasEmbed","bangHead","types","imageCredit","videoInfo",{},"podcastInfo",{},"relatedArticles",{"_25":958,"_959":960},[],"filters",[961],{"_913":914,"_915":962},[917],"thumbnail","/img/legacy/sj-logonew-thumbnail.jpg","publishedOn","2022-01-02T15:49:05.000Z","category","featuredImageUrl","cacheKey","hockeybuzz_Sharks-comeback-falls-short-in-85-loss-to-Penguins","cachedOn","2026-03-17T09:36:05.362Z","contentBlocks",[975,981,984,989,991,993,998,1000,1002,1007,1009,1011],{"_58":976,"_25":977,"_980":28},"ad",{"_58":98,"_60":125,"_62":125,"_63":28,"_64":28,"_65":48,"_66":126,"_67":28,"_68":28,"_69":28,"_70":28,"_72":978,"_74":20,"_75":20,"_76":20,"_77":20,"_78":979},[],{"_80":28,"_81":28,"_82":28,"_83":28,"_84":28,"_85":28,"_86":28,"_87":28,"_89":28,"_90":28},"html",{"_58":982,"_980":983},"text","

Follow me on Twitter: @BenShelley_20\nFollow HockeyBuzz Sharks Twitter: @HB_Sharks\n \n \nThe San Jose Sharks fell short in their comeback against the Pittsburgh Penguins today, losing 8-5. \n \n

",{"_58":976,"_25":985,"_980":28},{"_58":98,"_60":112,"_62":112,"_63":112,"_64":28,"_65":11,"_66":100,"_67":113,"_68":28,"_69":28,"_70":28,"_72":986,"_74":20,"_75":20,"_76":20,"_77":20,"_78":987},[],{"_80":28,"_81":28,"_82":28,"_83":28,"_84":28,"_85":28,"_86":28,"_87":988,"_89":28,"_90":117},[],{"_58":982,"_980":990},"

The third-period fight from this team. #SJSharks pic.twitter.com/gIXSYlbuzk
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) January 2, 2022

",{"_58":982,"_980":992},"",{"_58":976,"_25":994,"_980":28},{"_58":98,"_60":99,"_62":99,"_63":99,"_64":28,"_65":11,"_66":100,"_67":101,"_68":28,"_69":28,"_70":28,"_72":995,"_74":20,"_75":20,"_76":20,"_77":20,"_78":996},[],{"_80":28,"_81":28,"_82":28,"_83":28,"_84":28,"_85":28,"_86":28,"_87":997,"_89":28,"_90":28,"_99":14},[],{"_58":982,"_980":999},"@HB_Sharks",{"_58":982,"_980":1001},"",{"_58":976,"_25":1003,"_980":28},{"_58":98,"_60":119,"_62":119,"_63":119,"_64":28,"_65":11,"_66":100,"_67":120,"_68":28,"_69":28,"_70":28,"_72":1004,"_74":20,"_75":20,"_76":20,"_77":20,"_78":1005},[],{"_80":28,"_81":28,"_82":28,"_83":28,"_84":28,"_85":28,"_86":28,"_87":1006,"_89":28,"_90":117},[],{"_58":982,"_980":1008},"supersurvey.com",{"_58":982,"_980":1010},"

",{"_58":976,"_25":1012,"_980":28},{"_58":98,"_60":130,"_62":130,"_63":130,"_64":28,"_65":11,"_66":100,"_67":131,"_68":28,"_69":28,"_70":28,"_72":1013,"_74":20,"_75":20,"_76":20,"_77":20,"_78":1014},[],{"_80":28,"_81":28,"_82":28,"_83":28,"_84":28,"_85":28,"_86":28,"_87":1015,"_89":28,"_90":117},[],"metaSettings",{"_379":380,"_381":382,"_383":384,"_385":386,"_387":388,"_389":390,"_391":388,"_392":390,"_393":1018,"_401":402,"_403":404,"_405":390,"_406":390,"_407":390,"_408":32},{"_395":396,"_397":398,"_399":28,"_400":28},"sidebarSections",[1021],{"_1022":1023,"_1026":1027,"_1028":1029,"_1030":1029,"_959":1031},"header",{"_379":1024,"_381":28,"_1025":28},"NHL Rumors","image","articles",[],"desktopLayoutStyle","default","mobileLayoutStyle",[1032],{"_58":938,"_60":1033,"_1034":908,"_1035":1036,"_25":1037,"_1056":1057,"_915":1058},"nhl-rumors","skip","count","8",{"_58":938,"_60":1033,"_62":1024,"_1038":1039},"__i",{"_1040":1041,"_1042":1043,"_383":-5,"_940":1045,"_967":-5,"_1046":-5,"_1047":1048},"guid","2b5ca27c-39c9-43e8-a6f8-9b9ceb5ae97e","model",{"_60":-5,"_7":1044,"_679":-5},"Specification",[],"subCategory","auditing",{"_1049":1050,"_1051":1052,"_1053":1052,"_1054":1055},"createdOn","2025-07-18T13:29:11.083Z","createdBy","system","lastUpdatedBy","lastUpdatedOn","2025-07-18T13:29:11.084Z","load","preload",[1059,1088,1109,1125,1142,1158,1173,1188],{"_1025":1060,"_868":1061,"_918":1062,"_938":1063,"_1064":1065,"_965":1066,"_1067":1068,"_877":1069,"_883":1073,"_949":1074,"_379":1075,"_403":1076,"_895":1076,"_945":20,"_946":20,"_947":20,"_1077":908,"_909":908,"_60":1078,"_440":866,"_1079":20,"_921":1080,"_923":1081,"_931":20,"_932":20,"_1082":20,"_934":1083,"_870":1078,"_952":1084,"_1086":28,"_1087":-5,"_937":-5},"/img/random/activitymore-896e8a9f-76f7-47c6-94fb-e009a8dff853-544x306.jpg","-redictions--nhl-saturday-night-predictions","/2026/03/15/-redictions--nhl-saturday-night-predictions","NHL Predictions","date","2026-03-15T18:06:15.695Z","2026-03-15T18:22:30.923Z","photoCredit","Hockeybuzz.com",{"_62":1070,"_60":1071,"_881":1072},"Eklund","eklund","/avatars/eklund.jpg",[],"Eklund\"s Picks for Sunday","BUZZTRON 11-3 Last Night, NHL Final Standings Projections Tighten Today's Pick","BuzzTron NHL predictions NH playoffs ","viewCount","8eeb2851-c42f-40e7-a6eb-06e918610a16","isLiveFile",[],[],"prohibitReactionsInComments",{},{"_1085":-5},"url","externalUrl","subHeadings",{"_1025":1089,"_868":1090,"_918":1091,"_938":1092,"_1064":1093,"_965":1094,"_877":1095,"_883":1099,"_949":1100,"_379":1101,"_403":28,"_895":1102,"_945":20,"_946":20,"_947":20,"_1077":908,"_909":1103,"_60":1104,"_440":866,"_1079":20,"_921":1105,"_923":1106,"_931":20,"_932":20,"_1082":20,"_934":1107,"_870":1104,"_952":1108,"_1086":28,"_1087":-5,"_937":-5},"/img/random/mckennapennstatw-544x306.jpg","gavin-mckenna-penn-state-nhl-draft-left-top-ranking-elite-prospects-","/2026/03/15/gavin-mckenna-penn-state-nhl-draft-left-top-ranking-elite-prospects-","2026 NHL draft","2026-03-15T14:05:40.385Z","2026-03-15T16:11:11.619Z",{"_62":1096,"_60":1097,"_881":1098},"Kevin Allen","kevin-allen","/avatars/kevin-allen.jpg",[],"Kevin Allen's Weekly McKenna Report","Gavin McKenna Update: Penn State falls to Michigan in Big 10 Semifinal","Editor's Note: This is another installment about Gavin McKenna's draft status heading into the 2026 NHL draft. He was the No. 1 ranked player at the start of the NHL season. Gavin","4","49176e30-0315-42eb-9d4d-b87fcc26bd13",[],[],{},{"_1085":-5},{"_1025":1110,"_868":1111,"_918":1112,"_938":1070,"_1064":1113,"_965":1114,"_877":1115,"_883":1116,"_379":1117,"_403":28,"_895":1118,"_945":20,"_946":20,"_947":20,"_1077":908,"_909":1119,"_60":1120,"_440":866,"_1079":20,"_921":1121,"_923":1122,"_931":20,"_932":20,"_1082":20,"_934":1123,"_870":1120,"_952":1124,"_1086":28,"_1087":-5,"_937":-5},"/img/random/download-(2)-544x306.jpg","projecdted--final-nhl-standings","/2026/03/14/projecdted--final-nhl-standings","2026-03-14T14:26:03.744Z","2026-03-14T15:13:53.360Z",{"_62":1070,"_60":1071,"_881":1072},[],"HUGE GAMES TONIGHT. NHL PREDICTIONS AND PROJECTED PLAYOFF TEANS UPDATED","Many of you have been asking about my predicted standings—how they work exactly, and why I even do them.They actually come from something I’ve always hated. I hate the websites","5","265a5e3f-5a62-4d5d-9bfb-5a5fb62f532e",[],[],{},{"_1085":-5},{"_1025":1126,"_868":1127,"_918":1128,"_938":1070,"_1064":1129,"_965":1130,"_1067":1068,"_877":1131,"_883":1132,"_949":1133,"_379":1134,"_403":1135,"_895":1135,"_945":20,"_946":20,"_947":20,"_1077":908,"_909":1136,"_60":1137,"_440":866,"_1079":20,"_921":1138,"_923":1139,"_931":20,"_932":20,"_1082":20,"_934":1140,"_870":1137,"_952":1141,"_1086":28,"_1087":-5,"_937":-5},"/img/random/img_6920-544x306.jpg","auston-matthews-toronto-future-rumors","/2026/03/13/auston-matthews-toronto-future-rumors","2026-03-13T17:15:53.854Z","2026-03-13T17:31:45.980Z",{"_62":1070,"_60":1071,"_881":1072},[],"HUGE RUMOR with Legs....","Auston Matthews Rumors: Is the Maple Leafs Star Leaning Toward Leaving Toronto?","Sources around the NHL suggest Auston Matthews may be leaning toward eventually leaving Toronto, reflecting a growing trend where superstar players signal their intentions years before free agency.","2","35904341-1215-480c-aafb-d74760b9d50a",[],[],{},{"_1085":-5},{"_1025":1143,"_868":1144,"_918":1145,"_938":1070,"_1064":1146,"_965":1147,"_877":1148,"_883":1149,"_949":1150,"_379":1151,"_403":1152,"_895":1152,"_945":20,"_946":20,"_947":20,"_1077":908,"_909":908,"_60":1153,"_440":866,"_1079":20,"_921":1154,"_923":1155,"_931":20,"_932":20,"_1082":20,"_934":1156,"_870":1153,"_952":1157,"_1086":28,"_1087":-5,"_937":-5},"/img/random/activitymore-6d1b35fb-987a-4958-99bb-76f76ea04a3d-544x306.jpg","oilers-nhl-projected-final-standings","/2026/03/13/oilers-nhl-projected-final-standings","2026-03-13T17:05:20.535Z","2026-03-13T17:15:19.654Z",{"_62":1070,"_60":1071,"_881":1072},[],"BUZZTRON EXPLODED LAST NIGHT","NEW PROJECTED FINAL STANDINGS FOR FRIDAY<. TONIGHT\"S PICKS","NHL PICKS","5a17d268-bf8d-4f35-8a87-8ccf157c721f",[],[],{},{"_1085":-5},{"_1025":1143,"_868":1159,"_918":1160,"_938":1070,"_1064":1161,"_965":1162,"_877":1163,"_883":1164,"_949":1165,"_379":1166,"_403":1167,"_895":1167,"_945":20,"_946":20,"_947":20,"_1077":908,"_909":910,"_60":1168,"_440":866,"_1079":20,"_921":1169,"_923":1170,"_931":20,"_932":20,"_1082":20,"_934":1171,"_870":1168,"_952":1172,"_1086":28,"_1087":-5,"_937":-5},"march-nhl-preiction-machine","/2026/03/12/march-nhl-preiction-machine","2026-03-12T20:39:44.211Z","2026-03-12T21:06:07.185Z",{"_62":1070,"_60":1071,"_881":1072},[],"The BuzzTron 3000's Picks","New Projected Final Standings : Tonight's Picks","predictions ","a70036de-6498-4590-941d-a6d0fc8b3275",[],[],{},{"_1085":-5},{"_1025":1174,"_868":1175,"_918":1176,"_938":1070,"_1064":1177,"_965":1178,"_877":1179,"_883":1180,"_379":1181,"_403":1182,"_895":1182,"_945":20,"_946":20,"_947":20,"_1077":908,"_909":1103,"_60":1183,"_440":866,"_1079":20,"_921":1184,"_923":1185,"_931":20,"_932":20,"_1082":20,"_934":1186,"_870":1183,"_952":1187,"_1086":28,"_1087":-5,"_937":-5},"/img/random/img_6906-544x306.jpg","hockey-picks-hockeybuzztron3000--eklund","/2026/03/11/hockey-picks-hockeybuzztron3000--eklund","2026-03-11T15:44:16.271Z","2026-03-11T17:22:04.842Z",{"_62":1070,"_60":1071,"_881":1072},[],"BUZZTRON RESULTS LAST NIGHTS 13 ShIFT THE PROJECTED FIANL STANDINGS","The most accurate NHL game predictor and playoff predictor started off last night. Got three overtime games properly predicted to last to go to overtime but all three came out the opposite way as the bus Ron went five and eight on his first night..","e0314868-7ea7-4cfc-a792-046427f65f70",[],[],{},{"_1085":-5},{"_1025":1143,"_868":1189,"_918":1190,"_938":1070,"_1064":1191,"_965":1192,"_877":1193,"_883":1194,"_949":1195,"_379":1196,"_403":1197,"_895":1197,"_945":20,"_946":20,"_947":20,"_1077":908,"_909":1119,"_60":1198,"_440":866,"_1079":20,"_921":1199,"_923":1200,"_931":20,"_932":20,"_1082":20,"_934":1201,"_870":1198,"_952":1202,"_1086":28,"_1087":-5,"_937":-5},"nhl-predictions-hockeybuzz-eklund-projected-tplayoff-teams","/2026/03/10/nhl-predictions-hockeybuzz-eklund-projected-tplayoff-teams","2026-03-10T18:25:12.518Z","2026-03-10T19:09:59.449Z",{"_62":1070,"_60":1071,"_881":1072},[],"BUZZTRON PICKS TONIGHT'S 13 GAMES","THE BUZZTRON 3000 IS BACK! NHL Daily picks, NHL Projected Final Standings....","Daily predictions based on 14 factors and how every game should play out. We skipped a year but two years ago we were at 74% predicting winners of games for the final month of the season.... the best train has never been below 62%...","805d1c8b-f812-4303-801b-990c03d44dff",[],[],{},{"_1085":-5},"playerData","actionData","errors"]

Sharks' comeback falls short in 8-5 loss to Penguins

BUZZTRON 11-3 Last Night, NHL Final Standings Projections Tighten Today's Pick

By Eklund

Mar 15, 2026

Gavin McKenna Update: Penn State falls to Michigan in Big 10 Semifinal

By Kevin Allen

Mar 15, 2026

HUGE GAMES TONIGHT. NHL PREDICTIONS AND PROJECTED PLAYOFF TEANS UPDATED

By Eklund

Mar 14, 2026

Auston Matthews Rumors: Is the Maple Leafs Star Leaning Toward Leaving Toronto?

By Eklund

Mar 13, 2026

NEW PROJECTED FINAL STANDINGS FOR FRIDAY<. TONIGHT"S PICKS

By Eklund

Mar 13, 2026

New Projected Final Standings : Tonight's Picks

By Eklund

Mar 12, 2026

BUZZTRON RESULTS LAST NIGHTS 13 ShIFT THE PROJECTED FIANL STANDINGS

By Eklund

Mar 11, 2026

THE BUZZTRON 3000 IS BACK! NHL Daily picks, NHL Projected Final Standings....

By Eklund

Mar 10, 2026

BUZZTRON 11-3 Last Night, NHL Final Standings Projections Tighten Today's Pick

By Eklund

Mar 15, 2026

Gavin McKenna Update: Penn State falls to Michigan in Big 10 Semifinal

By Kevin Allen

Mar 15, 2026

HUGE GAMES TONIGHT. NHL PREDICTIONS AND PROJECTED PLAYOFF TEANS UPDATED

By Eklund

Mar 14, 2026

Auston Matthews Rumors: Is the Maple Leafs Star Leaning Toward Leaving Toronto?

By Eklund

Mar 13, 2026

NEW PROJECTED FINAL STANDINGS FOR FRIDAY<. TONIGHT"S PICKS

By Eklund

Mar 13, 2026

New Projected Final Standings : Tonight's Picks

By Eklund

Mar 12, 2026

BUZZTRON RESULTS LAST NIGHTS 13 ShIFT THE PROJECTED FIANL STANDINGS

By Eklund

Mar 11, 2026

THE BUZZTRON 3000 IS BACK! NHL Daily picks, NHL Projected Final Standings....

By Eklund

Mar 10, 2026