Hope returning to San Jose Sharks’ locker room after rout of Kings

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 Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.

Nobody has seen more Sharks losses since the 2019-20 NHL season than Mario Ferraro.

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So it had to feel different for Ferraro, more used to discussing defeat, to speak postgame after a win for once.

San Jose routed the Los Angeles Kings 7-2: Macklin Celebrini (twice), Nico Sturm, Fabian Zetterlund, Timothy Liljegren, Alex Wennberg, and Luke Kunin scored.

“There’s been a lot of moments in my time here where it hasn’t quite been so fun, me standing here, but today, after a pretty solid win by us, it feels good,” alternate captain Ferraro, who’s gone from Sharks’ Rookie of the Year in 2019-20 to veteran leader.

Hope has returned to the Sharks organization, and we’re finally seeing it on the ice. There might be nobody in the locker room more deserving to see it than the long-suffering Ferraro, unfairly staffed with the toughest defensive minutes in San Jose for most of the last six seasons.