Second period letdown dooms Sharks in preseason loss to Anaheim Ducks

A San Jose Sharks lineup that was light on experienced NHL players fell behind by three goals in the second period and was unable to fully recover in a 3-2 preseason loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Monday at the Honda Center.

The Sharks allowed goals to Cutter Gauthier, Radko Gudas, and Frank Vatrano in a span of 2:51 to fall behind 3-0 by the 9:13 mark of the second period. Gudas’ goal at the 7:09 mark, which gave Anaheim a 2-0 lead, was shorthanded and came after the Sharks lost a puck battle behind their own net.

Forward Pavol Regenda, who played two-plus years in the Ducks organization before he was acquired by San Jose last season, scored a power play goal at the 13:29 mark of the second to cut Anaheim’s lead to 3-1.

On the play, defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin took a pass from Oliver Wahlstrom and fired a shot that went off Regenda’s skate and past Ducks goalie Ville Husso.

Both the Sharks and Ducks went 1-for-5 on the power play.

The Sharks looked better after Regenda’s goal, and center Adam Gaudette cut Anaheim’s lead to one with his first goal of the preseason as his shot from near the slot got past Husso with 4:01 left in regulation. Husso made 22 saves in the win.

Goalie Jakub Skarek, who played six seasons in the New York Islanders’ organization before he signed with the Sharks this summer, played the first half of the game and made 13 saves.

Gabriel Carriere, who split time between the Barracuda and the ECHL’s Wichita Thunder last season, played the second half of the game and made 14 saves without allowing a goal.

The Sharks dressed only six players who figure to be on the team’s roster for the start of the regular season on Oct. 9: Forwards Ty Dellandrea, Gaudette, and Philipp Kurashev, and defensemen Vincent Desharnais, Timothy Liljegren, and Mukhamadullin.

Still, the Sharks were looking for a response after a lackluster 2-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday at SAP Center. After the game, Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky lamented his team’s lack of connectivity.

The Sharks figure to dress a more experienced lineup on Wednesday when they host the Ducks in their third-to-last preseason game.

A few of the players who dressed for the Sharks on Monday could soon be assigned to the Barracuda, who officially open their training camp on Tuesday and play their first preseason game on Saturday in Bakersfield.

The Ducks, meanwhile, dressed 15 NHL players who will likely be on their roster next month. That group includes center Mikael Granlund, who signed a three-year, $21 million deal with Anaheim as a free agent on July 1.

Granlund was acquired by the Sharks from the Penguins in Aug. 2023 as part of the trade that sent Erik Karlsson to Pittsburgh and had 105 points in 121 games with San Jose before he was traded to the Dallas Stars in February.