Sharks close out Rookie Faceoff with lopsided win, perfect record

The San Jose Sharks recovered from a slow start to score five unanswered goals and earn a chippy 6-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Monday to close out the Rookie Faceoff in El Segundo with a 3-0 record.

The Sharks trailed 2-0 after the opening 8:58 of the first period, but defenseman Valtteri Pulli scored at the 9:10 mark to cut Colorado’s lead to one. Then, in the second period, Luke Grainger scored twice, and fellow forward Nolan Burke added one as San Jose took a 4-2 lead.

Kasper Halttunen and Filip Bystedt scored third-period goals to close it out for the Sharks, who began the tournament with a 3-2 win over the Utah Hockey Club on Friday and a 7-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday.

Top prospects Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith were held out of Monday’s lineup as the Sharks went with 10 forwards and eight defensemen. Celebrini also did not play in Sunday’s lopsided win over the Ducks, in which Quentin Musty had three goals and an assist. Musty, a 2023 first-round draft pick, had two assists against Colorado.

Goalie Dawson Cowan, who plays for Spokane in the WHL and is in camp on a tryout basis, stopped 28 of 31 shots in the win. There were a combined 36 penalty minutes in Monday’s game, with each team receiving nine two-minute minors.

The Sharks’ focus now turns toward the start of the main training camp on Thursday. San Jose plays its first of six preseason games on Sunday against the Vegas Golden Knights at SAP Center.