One by one, the San Jose Sharks veterans shed their wet gear and slipped into the back room for a shower. A few – the marquee names – stopped to talk briefly to the half dozen reporters who were there to ask about their latest win, 3-2, in a shootout.



The Sharks are the oldest team in the NHL this season, and they had just faced the youngest. Stanley Cup finalists a year ago, they have pretty much witnessed it all, and again, they’re one of the best teams in the league and a contender.



They admitted, however, they were impressed with their opponent. The Leafs kids threw a lot at them for 65 minutes on Tuesday, a game Toronto nearly won. It wasn’t until an implosion in a two-minute stretch near the end of the third period that the game flipped the way it did.



The Sharks didn’t feel they played well.



“You know, they’re a good team,” Joe Pavelski said. “They’ve got some skill.