Kiefer Sherwood's Heroics In Sharks' Win Fueled By ‘infectious' Energy From Fans

Kiefer Sherwood's heroics in Sharks' win fueled by ‘infectious' energy from fans originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Another day, another thrilling end to a Sharks win that kept every fan watching on the edge of their seat. And would we want it any other way?

Kiefer Sherwood’s late-game heroics put the finishing touches on San Jose’s 7-5 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night at SAP Center, extending the Sharks’ winning streak to three games, with each of those contests coming down to the final seconds.

Sherwood’s decisive go-ahead goal at 16:34 in the third period was his first as a Shark, and the veteran forward wasted no time celebrating the occasion with a raucous home crowd that has SAP Center feeling like the days of old once more.

Sherwood praised the impact made by the fervent support from the home crowd, detailing the “infectious” energy he and his teammates felt from Sharks fans in the building during the roller coaster win.

“You guys keep buzzing, and we’ll keep feeding you,” Sherwood told the SAP Center crowd during a postgame interview with NBC Sports California’s Tara Slone.

Sherwood is an eight-year NHL veteran and has been around long enough to remember when a road trip to San Jose was one of the most vaunted dates on a hockey team’s schedule. When asked what it’s like to be a part of a team fueling a resurgence that once again is making SAP Center among the best home ices in the league, Sherwood expressed his gratitude for the energy supplied by the Sharks fans in attendance.

“This time of year, everyone is digging in and pulling the rope together, and we really appreciate your guys’ support, and it’s great to see the Tank buzzing again … It’s infectious and we really feed off of it, and we’ll continue to try and make you guys proud,” Sherwood said.

The path to victory was not without its own anxiety-inducing moments, as the Sharks erased two early deficits to keep the game level.

Collin Graf got the Sharks on the board with a first-period goal that saw a handful of contributors work together for a textbook finish to tie the game at 1-1.

Rookie star Michael Misa then continued his recent hot streak to even things at 2-2, the 2025 No. 2 overall pick’s third consecutive game with a goal.

Then Macklin Celebrini did Macklin Celebrini things, ripping a shot through the five-hole of Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobeš to give San Jose a 3-2 lead. It was the teenage superstar’s 30th goal of the 2025-26 season, making Celebrini the first teenager to eclipse that mark in the NHL since Winnipeg Jets star Patrik Laine in the 2017-18 campaign.

While Sherwood’s game-winner rightfully is dominating the headlines, the veteran’s savvy poke-check on the boards in the offensive zone and subsequent assist to Alex Wennberg was his most impressive play of the evening.

Celebrini then found Will Smith at the back post to give the Sharks a commanding three-goal lead with just over 15 minutes remaining in regulation.

But as anyone who has watched these upstart Sharks knows, this game was far from over. The Canadiens promptly responded with three unanswered goals, sending this game down to the wire before Sherwood’s late-game magic prevented a horrific collapse from coming to fruition.

Sherwood praised San Jose’s ability to grit out a win and not let a pair of crucial points slip away as the Sharks attempt to snap a six-year playoff drought.

“We bend, we don’t break. We’re continuing to grind and stick together there,” Sherwood told reporters after the game. “Obviously, we had some penalties there, but guys are sticking up for each other and playing the right way. Showed a lot of character and resolve there.”

Celebrini echoed a similar sentiment, lauding his teammates’ ability to win in adverse conditions.

“Thought it was great — we don’t want to give up those goals in the third,” Celebrini said. “Try to prevent those, but we have a good power play and they capitalized. I mean, I thought we got it done in the end, and that’s all that matters.”

After dropping five consecutive games, San Jose’s magical season was on the ropes. Maybe these young, gritty Sharks were still a year or two away. After all, who could’ve seen any of us talking playoffs in March?

But this wasn’t to be the end of this story. These Sharks made sure of it. With their backs against the wall, they have rattled off three consecutive wins, dispatching quality opponents in epic fashion and placing themselves firmly in the playoff race as the season approaches the final stretch.

With 64 points, the Sharks currently are three points back of the Western Conference’s final wild card spot, but they have a game in hand on the Seattle Kraken. San Jose also has three games in hand on the Edmonton Oilers, who sit just four points ahead in the Pacific Division’s final playoff spot.

San Jose has games against the St. Louis Blues and New York Islanders to close out this pivotal five-game homestand that could ultimately decide how their 82-game season is viewed when all is said and done.

Who knows if they’ll get a clean sweep by dispatching the Blues and Islanders, but one thing is for certain.

The Shark Tank is going to be rocking, and that won’t be changing again any time soon.

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