Sharks cough up lead in loss to Blackhawks, Connor Bedard
Defenseman Mario Ferraro and center Michael Misa both scored before everything went off the rails for the San Jose Sharks, who had trouble managing the puck, got some spotty goaltending, and allowed five unanswered goals in a 5-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday at the United Center.
Leading 2-0, the Sharks allowed a goal to defenseman Sam Rinzel with 30 seconds left in the second period and two goals to Louis Crevier and one to both Ryan Greene and Nick Lardis in a one-sided third as they lost for the fourth time in five games.
Connor Bedard had two assists for the Blackhawks, who snapped a four-game losing streak.
Wednesday’s game marked the first time this season that the Sharks had lost a game in regulation time when they took a lead into the third period. They had been 27-0-2 in that circumstance before Wednesday.
Sharks goalie Yaroslav Askarov made 19 saves as he finished the regular season with a record of 21-20-4 in 47 games.
Among Askarov's saves was a stop of Ilya Mikheyev's penalty shot attempt at the 16:22 mark of the first period. But he also looked shaky on goals by Rinzel, who snuck a shot on the short side by Askarov, and Crevier’s second goal, which came on a shot from more than 60 feet away without a screen.
Asked where Wednesday’s game turned around, coach Ryan Warsofsky didn’t hesitate.
“The goal right before the period is where it all started,” Warsofsky said, alluding to the soft goal by Rinzel that Askarov allowed.
Askarov finished the season having won just two of his last nine starts, with an .871 save percentage in that time.
Still, the skaters in front of Askarov didn’t do him many favors.
On a Blackhawks 2-on-2, Bedard found Louis Crevier open for a tap-in goal 3:51 into the third as rookie defenseman Sam Dickinson lost coverage on the back end.
At the 8:35 mark, Dickinson’s giveaway inside the Sharks led to a Ryan Greene goal and a 3-2 Blackhawks lead.
"We've learned a lot of lessons along the way," Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said. "This one was a kick in the gut because we should know by now, to be honest with you.
“We've talked enough about momentum shifts in games, and when to simplify, and when to be a mature team and understand that we've controlled the game the first two periods, let's go put zeroes in the third, and we win a hockey game. Until we do that, we won't make another step."
Although eliminated from playoff contention, the Sharks were hoping to build on Monday’s 3-2 road win over the Nashville Predators. But they managed just four shots on net in the third period and 17 for the game against the Blackhawks, the NHL’s 31st-place team.
Goalie Alex Nedeljkovic is expected to get the start on Thursday when the Sharks (38-37-8) face the Winnipeg Jets to end the regular season.
Macklin Celebrini did not have a point on Wednesday and will enter the Sharks' game against the Jets with 112 points, two behind Joe Thornton's single-season team record set in 2006-07.
The Sharks are now 2-18-3 this season when Celebrini doesn’t record a point.
Celebrini also remains tied for second in Sharks history in goals scored in a single season with 44. Patrick Marleau scored 44 goals in 2009-2010, and Owen Nolan scored 44 in 1999-2000.
Jonathan Cheechoo holds the Sharks record of 56, set in 2005-06. Thornton assisted on 39 of those goals.
Celebrini's 68 assists are the fifth-most in team history. Thornton holds the team record with 92 in 2006-07.
The Sharks, with 84 points, are now officially in 24th place in the NHL’s overall standings. With a win on Thursday and a St. Louis Blues loss in regulation time to the Utah Mammoth, the Sharks would move up to 23rd and have a 3.5% chance of winning the NHL Draft Lottery on May 5.
With a regulation time loss, the Sharks will fall to 26th overall and have a 6.5% chance of winning the lottery.
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This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 8:24 PM.