Editor's note: Sheng Peng is a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on X at @Sheng_Peng.
Nikolai Kovalenko was honest, both about on and off-the-ice matters, after the San Jose Sharks’ 3-2 loss to the Calgary Flames.
Most importantly, credit to the 25-year-old Russian winger, subject to six-straight healthy scratches, for being open about the mental toll of getting sat constantly: “I think for everybody [in the NHL], have perfect muscles, perfect speed, perfect skill. More important [is the] mental thing, and I try working with myself, with [a therapist].”
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Secondary, the rookie said of how he can improve on his first game since Mar. 22, “Try to help my teammates score, or be open a little bit quicker. A couple times, I have mistakes today, so I need to a bit smarter when I’m tired.”
That’s a reminder to look beyond the scoresheet, and Kovalenko’s assist on Will Smith’s goal:
Will Smith gives #TheFutureIsTeal the lead late in the first!
— JD Young (@MyFryHole) April 8, 2025
1-0 Sharks pic.twitter.com/i3siMYse7p
That’s taking nothing away from the perfect Kovalenko (15) pass through Kevin Bahl (7) to Smith (2).
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