San Jose opened its season with a jolt at SAP Center, surviving Florida’s three-goal pushback before rookie defenseman Luca Cagnoni buried the first NHL goal of his career for a 4-3 overtime win Thursday.
Will Smith was at the center of the Sharks’ first night, scoring twice and delivering the cross-ice feed that set up Cagnoni at 3:14 of overtime. Smith carried the puck over the blue line and found Cagnoni in the left circle, where the 21-year-old snapped a shot between Akira Schmid’s pads. It was Cagnoni’s first goal in his 10th NHL appearance.
Macklin Celebrini finished with three assists, including helpers on both of Smith’s second-period goals, while Mason Marchment scored in his San Jose debut. Yaroslav Askarov turned aside 23 shots as the Sharks held on after allowing Florida to erase a three-goal deficit.
Marchment gave San Jose its first lead at 14:20 of the opening period. Working off the right-side wall, he curled toward the high slot and sent a wrist shot through bodies that slipped under Schmid. Marchment joined the Sharks on a five-year, $33.75 million contract signed July 1.
The Sharks took control early in the second. Celebrini stripped Matthew Tkachuk and led a 2-on-1 rush before sliding the puck to Smith, who beat Schmid over the blocker for a shorthanded goal at 5:52. Smith struck again on the power play at 10:37, jamming in a loose puck after Schmid sprawled to deny Celebrini’s wraparound attempt.
Panthers rally, but Sharks finish the job
Florida arrived in San Jose after a 1-0 overtime victory against the Carolina Hurricanes in its own season opener Tuesday, and the Panthers found their game late in the second period. Eetu Luostarinen converted a power-play rebound at 17:10, knocking in a puck that came off Askarov’s blocker following Aaron Ekblad’s point shot.
Luostarinen was credited with another at 5:01 of the third, when Dmitry Kulikov’s shot redirected off him and then deflected in off Cagnoni. The Panthers tied it only 17 seconds later. Sam Bennett stole the puck from Michael Misa along the left boards, then sent a backhand pass into the slot for Tkachuk, whose shot beat Askarov on the glove side after clipping the post.
Schmid made 29 saves in his first appearance with Florida, but the Panthers lost captain Aleksander Barkov during the second period. Barkov went down awkwardly while fighting for possession in the right corner during a power play at 8:07, then headed directly to the dressing room after signaling for the Zamboni doors to be opened and dropping his gloves.
The 31-year-old center was playing only his second game of the season after missing the entire 2025-26 campaign because of a right knee injury suffered on the opening day of training camp. He underwent surgery the following day to repair his MCL and ACL.
Florida also played without defenseman Gustav Forsling, a late scratch with an upper-body injury. The Panthers’ rally earned them a point, but Cagnoni’s overtime finish gave San Jose the opening-night result it wanted and sent the building home with a new name on the scoresheet.
