Gannon Laroque Scores in Sharks 4-3 Shootout Win

Gannon Laroque scored as the San Jose Sharks beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 in a shootout.

The 2023 Rookie Faceoff is underway as the San Jose Sharks beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 in a shootout on Friday afternoon.

In the first game of the entire tournament, these rivals played a brand of physical and defensive style hockey. It's a bit surprising, given the limited time each player has played with each other.

Georgi Romanov got the start in goal for the Sharks and looked steady. Romanov made 41 saves and was a perfect two for two in the shootout.

Former No. 7 overall pick William Eklund got back into game action for the first time since he had shoulder surgery.

San Jose Barracuda head coach John McCarthy told the media that Eklund will be on the wing throughout the tournament. Eklund played left wing with Tristen Robins in the middle and 2023 second-round pick Kasper Halttunen.

Gannon Laroque played just four games in the WHL for the Victoria Royals last season. The big defenseman dealt with a lower-body injury that bled into the summer. Laroque was also unable to participate in development camp in July due to an injury.

McCarthy said after the game that it has been nearly a year since the defenseman played in a game. 

At five minutes of the third, Laroque fired a wrist shot from the point to give the San Jose Sharks a 3-2 lead. Everyone in attendance could see his confidence growing as the game went on. 

"It was really fun to be back out there playing again," Laroque said. "It's been a while, so that was good. My d-partner [Valtteri] Pulli really helped me out tonight."

The former Royal's captain couldn't do anything but smile as he spoke to the media. 

"I was talking to family, friends, mental performance coach, all the guys here, [and] my smile is probably the biggest you've ever seen," Laroque said. "So it was really fun to be out there again."

A total of 11 penalties were called, including a massive heavy-weight bout between San Jose Sharks defenseman Artem Guryev and LA Kings center Samuel Helenius.

Guryev said he wanted to get the team going and bring some energy to the bench.

"I just had to get the boys fired up because we were getting a little sloppy," Guryev said. "I was just trying to get the boys going and see what happened. We won the game, so that's all it matters."

Guryev also talked about how he plays the game to have fun. His mindset was that no matter the outcome, his goal was to play hard and have fun.

"You always have to have fun, and you have to enjoy it," Guryev said.

Robins and Bradley Marek scored the other two goals for the San Jose Sharks.

Danil Gushchin went first in the shootout, and Eklund went second for Team Teal.

The Sharks will take on the Vegas Golden Knights tomorrow at 7 p.m. at The Dollar Loan Center.