Eklund notched an assist and two PIM in Saturday's 4-3 loss to Utah.
Eklund has slowed down a bit in December, earning a goal and two assists over his last six outings. The 22-year-old has mostly maintained a top-six role despite the slide on offense. He's now at five goals, 20 helpers, 52 shots on net, 20 hits, 22 blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating over 32 appearances.
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Sharks' William Eklund: On career pace
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Eklund scored a power-play goal in overtime to lift the Sharks to a 2-1 victory over the Capitals on Tuesday.
Eklund won it with a one-timer from the right circle while the Caps' Tom Wilson was still in the box after taking a double-minor at 17:43 of the third period. It was his first goal in eight games. Eklund sits second on the Sharks scoring list with 23 points (five goals, 18 shots) in 27 games. At his current pace, he is well on his way to career highs in points (70), assists (55), power-play points (18) and shots (146). Eklund's previous highs in those categories were 45 points, 29 assists, 16 power-play points and 128 shots.
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Sharks' William Eklund: Adds assist in loss
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Eklund managed an assist, three shots on goal and three hits in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Senators.
Eklund has racked up four assists over his last three contests. The winger set up a Macklin Celebrini tally in the third period. Eklund continues to impress on the top line with 20 points, 39 shots on net, 18 hits and 17 blocked shots over 24 appearances this season.
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Sharks' William Eklund: Dishes pair of helpers
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Eklund logged a pair of assists, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Monday's 7-2 win over the Kings.
This was Eklund's third multi-point effort in his last eight games, a span in which he has two goals and eight assists. The 22-year-old has added three power-play points in that span. The winger is up to four goals, 15 assists, five power-play points, 36 shots on net, 17 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating over 23 appearances. Eklund's top-six role, even in an offense as inconsistent as San Jose's, can't be ignored when he's pushing for a 60-point pace.
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Sharks' William Eklund: Puts up assist
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Eklund managed an assist and two blocked shots in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Sabres.
Eklund was a game-time decision for Saturday, but he was able to play 20:08, in line with his usual workload. He has two goals and six assists over his last seven contests as he continues to thrive in a top-six role. The winger is up to four goals, 13 helpers, 36 shots on net and a minus-3 rating through 22 outings. Eklund offers valuable category coverage, but his main contributions are his offensive numbers.
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Sharks' William Eklund: Set to play
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Eklund (undisclosed) will play versus the Sabres on Saturday, Max Miller of NHL.com reports.
Eklund was considered a game-time decision, but he won't end up missing a game with the issue. The 22-year-old will play in his usual top-line role and will skate alongside Fabian Zetterlund and Mikael Granlund.
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Sharks' William Eklund: Nabs shorthanded helper
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Eklund recorded a shorthanded assist in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Stars.
The helper extended Eklund's point streak to five games (two goals, five assists). He also has two power-play points in that span, which has showcased his all-situations importance to the Sharks. The 22-year-old is up to four goals, 12 helpers, 33 shots on net and a minus-3 rating through 20 outings this season. Eklund will play heavy minutes as the Sharks continue their rebuild, but he should offer decent scoring contributions, and it looks like he won't be anywhere near the horrendous minus-45 rating he had in 2023-24.
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Sharks' William Eklund: Scores twice Monday
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Eklund scored two goals, including one in the power play, in Monday's 5-4 overtime win over the Red Wings.
Eklund opened his tally Monday with a wrister midway through the first period when the Sharks had the man advantage, and he later doubled it in the second frame with an even-strength goal. He's up to four goals on the season, but he's not relying solely upon his goal contributions to make an impact. This two-goal performance extended Eklund's current point streak to four games, where he's also racked up four helpers.
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Sharks' William Eklund: Two helpers against Philly
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Eklund collected two assists while adding four hits, one shot and a plus-2 rating in Monday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Flyers.
The 22-year-old helped spark a comeback from a 3-0 deficit by having a hand in tallies by Jack Thompson and Mikael Granlund late in the second period. Eklund snapped a brief three-game point drought with this performance, but over his last 13 contests, the seventh overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft has racked up an impressive two goals and 10 points.
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Sharks' William Eklund: Gathers helper in loss
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Eklund notched an assist in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Canucks.
Eklund helped out on a Mikael Granlund goal in the third period. With four points over his last five games, Eklund continues to offer consistent offense in a top-line role. The 22-year-old winger is up to two goals, seven helpers, 24 shots on net, six blocked shots and a minus-5 rating through 12 appearances this season. Eklund has the potential to exceed his 45-point campaign from 2023-24, but he still carries some risks since he's on a team that mostly lacks secondary scoring threats.
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Sharks' William Eklund: Puts away empty-netter
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Eklund scored an empty-net goal on three shots in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Kings.
Eklund has two goals and three assists over his last six games. The 22-year-old winger hasn't been particularly flashy, but he's been consistent while seeing top-six usage for the Sharks -- his 18:26 of ice time Tuesday was a season low. He's collected eight points, 23 shots on net and a minus-4 rating over 10 appearances, and while the scoring pace might dip, he should do better than the 45-point campaign he had in 2023-24.
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Sharks' William Eklund: Playing through injury
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Eklund told reporters after Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Blackhawks that he's "not 100 percent," Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
At least in Thursday's contest, it was a fair clarification to make, as Eklund put up a pair of assists and two shots on goal while playing 19:02. The 22-year-old winger looks prepared to play through the upper-body issue for now, though he may have his minutes managed in the near term. Eklund has three assists, 11 shots on net, four blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating through four appearances to begin the year.
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Sharks' William Eklund: Good to play
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Eklund (upper body) will play Thursday versus Chicago, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now.
Eklund was considered a game-time decision after missing Wednesday's practice. He has an assist in three appearances in 2024-25. Eklund is projected to play on the first line alongside Mikael Granlund and Tyler Toffoli.
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Sharks' William Eklund: Dealing with upper-body injury
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Eklund didn't practice Wednesday due to an upper-body injury, Max Miller of NHL.com reports.
Head coach Ryan Warsofsky called Eklund's upper-body injury a "little nagging" issue and indicated that the 22-year-old will likely be a game-time decision for Thursday's matchup against Chicago. Over his first three appearances of the 2024-25 season, Eklund has recorded an assist, nine shots on goal and four blocked shots while averaging 22:27 of ice time.
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Sharks' William Eklund: Battling upper-body injury
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Eklund is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now on Friday.
Eklund should still be fine for Opening Night against St. Louis on Oct. 10, but he might miss some preseason action due to the injury. He had 16 goals and 45 points in 80 contests with the Sharks last season.
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Sharks' William Eklund: Scores hat trick
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Eklund collected three goals -- including one in overtime -- in a 3-2 win over the Blues on Saturday.
Eklund was hot as a pistol against the Blues. He scored twice on the power play in the second period and then added the game-winner in the extra frame for his 15th of the year. The 21-year-old rookie is now on a modest four-game point streak, collecting three goals and three assists over that span. While he might not be a must-start option right now, Eklund is continuing to develop, which makes him a player to monitor closely in future drafts.
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Sharks' William Eklund: Records helper Saturday
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Eklund posted a power-play assist in Saturday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Blackhawks.
Eklund set up the second of Fabian Zetterlund's two goals in the second period. The 21-year-old Eklund has gotten on the scoresheet in each of the last two games despite playing on the fourth line. The winger has 32 points, 109 shots on net, 60 blocked shots and a minus-42 rating through 68 contests overall. His current assignment is less than encouraging, but his presence on the top power-play unit at least offers some upside.
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Sharks' William Eklund: Deposits lone goal in loss
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Eklund scored a goal in Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Lightning.
Eklund entered Thursday on a five-game point drought, and he had gone eight contests without a goal. That earned him a demotion to the fourth line, but he bounced back well by tying the game at 1-1 in the first period. Eklund has 11 goals, 31 points, 109 shots on net, 59 blocked shots and a minus-42 rating over 67 appearances. He's still got some bumps in the road ahead while playing for a rebuilding team, but he's shown a lot of positives this season, his first full NHL campaign.
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Sharks' William Eklund: Hands out power-play helper
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Eklund recorded a power-play assist in Thursday's 7-2 loss to the Islanders.
Eklund has a pair of goals and two assists over his last four outings. His feed toward the net bounced off Thomas Bordeleau's skate and in for the Sharks' first goal. Eklund continues to put up solid offense despite the dwindling talent on the team around him. He has 29 points (10 on the power play), 97 shots on net, 56 blocked shots and a minus-34 rating through 60 appearances this season.
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Sharks' William Eklund: Needs help off the ice
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Eklund was helped off the ice at the end of Tuesday's 7-6 overtime loss to the Stars, and head coach David Quinn had no update on his status following the game, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports.
Eklund posted a power-play assist and a minus-4 rating in the contest. The Sharks are already running thin down the middle -- Eklund's a natural winger but has been playing at center in recent weeks. An update on his status should be available prior to Thursday's game versus the Islanders.
