Ranking the Sharks' Top 10 Wins of 2025-2026 (So Far!)

When the San Jose Sharks drafted teenage phenom Macklin Celebrini with the first overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, the hockey world felt certain it was only a matter of time before Team Teal became relevant again -- however, their 2025-2026 campaign has made it clear that this team is, indeed, ahead of schedule.

Following a thrilling comeback victory in Pittsburgh last Saturday, I thought it might be fun to revisit some of the Sharks' most memorable victories of the season thus far. Let the countdown begin :)

10. November 8 vs. Florida (W 3-1)

This one almost feels like an honorable mention. There's an argument to be made for replacing it with San Jose's 6-1 victory in Seattle just three days prior. Perhaps the team simply ran out of gas after playing three games in four nights. In many ways, it felt as though the Sharks jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, suddenly forgot how to play hockey, and went into some kind of prevent defense to fend off the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions until the final horn. Admittedly, the Panthers are far from the dominant squad they have been in previous years, but to notch a 3-1 win against a franchise that has qualified for three consecutive Cup Finals still had to feel pretty great for Celebrini and company (despite the shot clock reading 39-23 in favor of Florida).

9. November 7 vs. Winnipeg (W 2-1)

A gritty performance on a Friday night at the Shark Tank. The Winnipeg Jets are a great hockey team -- backed by Connor Hellebuyck, arguably the best goaltender in the NHL, and consistently proving themselves as a threat in the postseason. This game could have easily gone south. The Jets got on the board first, Celebrini was sticked in the face and suffered a couple of chipped teeth, but the Sharks' future captain would rebound immediately to tie the game just 1:12 after Winnipeg's go-ahead goal. Will Smith tallied the game-winner for San Jose in the final minutes, and the team defense around Alex Nedeljkovic was phenomenal to secure a victory that San Jose would have, in all likelihood, fumbled earlier in the season.

8. December 1 vs. Utah (W 6-3)

Admittedly, Will Smith with a highlight reel dangle and score bumps this one up the rankings quite a bit, but a multi-goal effort from both Smith and Tyler Toffoli, and the Sharks netting six goals in the first thirty minutes of the contest made this night feel like we had entered a time machine. I half-expected Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau to be present in the Box Score after such a lethal offensive performance. Interestingly, San Jose had an even more epic win against the Utah Mammoth earlier this season, which will be recapped later on.

7. October 26 @ Minnesota (W 6-5, OT)

This was a Wild one, pun intended. William Eklund scored twice, Michael Misa notched his first NHL goal, and Macklin Celebrini won the game in overtime with an unbelievable burst of speed. Minnesota swarmed the Sharks late, scoring twice to force extra time and dominating the 3-on-3 action, yet Celebrini's goal felt like a defining moment for a team that desperately needed a win after a very rough start to the season. San Jose would rally to beat the Wild in overtime once again on November 11th, but this first one still feels a bit more special.

6. October 30 vs. New Jersey (W 5-2)

Halloween Eve truly feels like the turning point of the 2025-2026 campaign for Team Teal. Sure, the team had picked up a pair of impressive wins on their recent road trip, and even turned in a solid effort against the Los Angeles Kings just two nights prior (despite the loss). In this game, however, all of the pieces finally started falling into place. William Eklund lit the lamp just 42 seconds in, and with three goals in the opening frame, the Sharks ultimately cruised past a team that should have dismantled them on paper. San Jose would proceed to win 6 of their next 7 games, falling only to Detroit in a shootout, and propelling themselves back into the playoff race.

5. November 1 vs. Colorado (W 3-2, OT)

Following a huge win over the New Jersey Devils, the Sharks played host to the Avalanche. Backed by superstar Nathan Mackinnon, Colorado is in the midst of a season for the ages, seemingly running away with the Presidents' Trophy. They were all over San Jose early in this one, but Team Teal found a way to keep their composure after allowing a score just 30 seconds into the opening frame. The Sharks would ultimately battle back to take the lead, and a pair of goals from Philipp Kurashev (including the game-winner in overtime) secured two incredibly difficult points against a true Stanley Cup contender.

Honorable Mention: December 7 @ Carolina (W 4-1)

At this point, it only seems fair to hand out the aforementioned "honorable mention" to San Jose for picking up a crucial two points in Carolina against the Metropolitan-leading Hurricanes. The road trip featured two other wins that overshadow this one, but another multi-point performance from Macklin Celebrini (1 goal, 2 assists) had the Sharks back in the win column against a team that went to the Conference Finals last spring.

4. November 18 vs. Utah (W 3-2, OT)

Macklin Celebrini's first career hat-trick at the Shark Tank. It's really that simple. Otherwise, this wasn't a particularly great game from San Jose as a whole. They started strong, but mustered only 22 shots total and squandered a 2-0 lead in the final period on a goal that Yaroslav Askarov probably should have stopped. Nonetheless, Celebrini netted two electric goals in the first six minutes and was on hat-trick watch for the remainder of the night, only to laser home a powerplay goal in overtime to win the game. And the hats rained down. Insane.

3. December 11 @ Toronto (W 3-2, OT)

Despite being unable to hoist the Stanley Cup for nearly six decades, Toronto remains firmly at the forefront of the hockey world. With players like Auston Matthews and William Nylander leading the charge, the Maple Leafs are always a difficult opponent, regardless of their record. Particularly at Scotiabank Arena. On this night, the Sharks fell behind 2-0 early, but a pair of goals from defensemen Dmitry Orlov and John Klingberg forced overtime, where perhaps another unlikely hero in Alexander Wennberg silenced the Ontario crowd. This win truly exemplified depth that the NHL didn't realize Team Teal possessed. Wennberg's three-point night looks really nice on the stat sheet as well.

2. October 23 @ New York Rangers (W 6-5, OT)

After falling in six straight contests to begin the season, the Sharks finally won a hockey game -- in unbelievable fashion at Madison Square Garden, no less. Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith combined for 9 points on the night, as Celebrini tallied his first hat-trick of the season and Smith scored both the go-ahead goal in the third period and absolutely sniped in the overtime game-winner. Despite San Jose's abysmal record at the time, it was impressive to see their young stars shine under the bright lights, stunning both the Rangers and the entire New York fan base.

1. December 13 @ Pittsburgh (W 6-5, OT)

"IN FRANCHISE HISTORY... SHARKS WIN!!" Randy Hahn said it best with his call of John Klingberg's overtime game-winner. The Penguins led 5-1 in the third period, but the Sharks were not to be deterred. With Philipp Kurashev and Will Smith both knocked out of the lineup due to injury, San Jose went on a remarkable run, scoring four times in less than 11 minutes to force overtime, and ultimately stunning the Pittsburgh crowd. A pair of goals from John Klingberg, another four-point night from Macklin Celebrini, and the Sharks completed one of the greatest comebacks in the 35-year history of their organization.