The Sharks didn’t open the season the way they wanted to last week when they lost two close games on home ice. But the team at least enjoyed some renewed fan support, with one announced sellout crowd at SAP Center and another at near-capacity.

Dallas Stars coach Pete DeBoer took notice. Then his team almost took a loss against the new-look Sharks on Tuesday night.

Ty Dellandrea and Tyler Toffoli both scored and Mackenzie Blackwood finished with 36 saves but the Sharks lost 3-2 in a shootout to the Stars, denying Ryan Warsofsky his first NHL head coaching win.

All three Stars shooters scored in the shootout, while Mikael Granlund was the only Shark to score on Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger.

The Sharks led 2-1 late in the second period before Stars forward Roope Hintz scored at the 17:12 mark to tie the game. Blackwood made 12 saves in the third period to help send the game into overtime. Oettinger finished with 25 saves, including 11 in the third period and two in overtime.

DeBoer, who coached the Sharks for four-plus seasons from 2015 to 2019 when sellouts at the arena were more the norm, said Tuesday he watched part of the Sharks’ season-opening game against the St. Louis Blues.

The game featured the NHL debuts of forward prospects Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, and DeBoer saw how it looked — and sounded — like old times inside the 31-year-old building.

“I got a glimpse of the home opener, and great to see the Shark Tank starting to fill up again,” DeBoer said Tuesday morning before the Stars hosted the Sharks at American Airlines Center. “It’s great that area is getting excited about some of the young guys coming, obviously Celebrini and Will Smith and some other young players.”

The Sharks announced a sellout crowd of 17,435 for their opener on Oct. 10, a 5-4 overtime loss to the Blues, and a crowd of 17,016 for their 2-0 loss to the Anaheim Ducks two days later.

The Sharks’ average announced attendance last season was 13,559, or 77.8% of the arena’s capacity for hockey. That percentage was the lowest in the NHL.

For 13 of the Sharks 41 home dates, paid attendance ranged between 10,000 and 11,000, although the actual number of spectators in the building for those games appeared far smaller.

It’s tough to blame the fans for not showing up, as the Sharks limped to an NHL-worst 19-54-9 record, which included just 11 wins on home ice.

When DeBoer and former longtime Shark Joe Pavelski came to San Jose for two games last season, announced crowds were 10,070 — a season-low — and 12,208.

“It’s such a great hockey market,” DeBoer said of San Jose. “I enjoyed it at its peak. I remember talking with (Pavelski) last year (who) was there during the peak; you don’t like to see it when it’s not at the peak because of how great a spot it is.

“So nice to see it on the way back.”

DeBoer on Dellandrea

Sharks forward Ty Dellandrea is trying to re-establish himself as a full-time NHL player. According to DeBoer, Dellandrea is in the perfect spot to do that and has the perfect person to look up to while in San Jose.

DeBoer recalled that during his first season as the Sharks coach, the team assigned a still-developing Barclay Goodrow back to the AHL after he spent most of the previous season in the NHL.

But after Goodrow spent almost all of the next two seasons with the Barracuda, he returned to the Sharks at 24 years old as a more complete player.

Dellandrea was the Stars’ first-round draft pick in 2018. He played all 82 games with the team in 2022-23, collecting nine goals and 19 assists, and he averaged over 14 minutes of ice time per game.

Last season, though, amidst a deeper Stars lineup, Dellandrea was a healthy scratch 40 times, had just nine points, and saw his ice time dip to below 13 minutes a night.

San Jose can be a great place for Dellandrea to get back to where he was, DeBoer said.

“He oozes character. I think he has big leadership potential,” DeBoer said of Dellandrea, who just turned 24 in July. “The key for Ty is you’ve got to establish yourself as an NHL regular, every night player in whatever role that’s going to be before you can really get into some of that leadership stuff.

“But he learned under some great leaders here, Joe Pavelski and Jamie Benn, and I’m glad he’s getting an opportunity. There’s no better opportunity for a young player who wants to grow into a role than on (the Sharks) roster right now. He’s got some great complimentary characteristics to his game that could really help that group if he can grow into that role.”

Goodrow, now 31, is nearing 600 career NHL games with two Stanley Cups on his resume.

“That’s a good blueprint for Ty Dellandrea,” DeBoer said.

“Establish yourself as a player, and then let your character and leadership take over.”

The lineup

The Sharks kept their forward lines and defense pairs intact from Saturday’s game, but made a change in net as goalie Mackenzie Blackwood started against the Stars. Blackwood allowed five goals on 40 shots in the Sharks’ season-opening loss and came into Tuesday’s game 0-3-0 with a .888 save percentage in three career games against Dallas.

Forwards Danil Gushchin and Givani Smith and defensemen Jack Thompson were slated to be the healthy scratches.

Gushchin has now been a healthy scratch in two straight games after he played 10:20 in the Sharks’ season-opener, and Smith has not yet played this season.

Thompson was recalled from the Barracuda on Saturday when the Sharks placed Celebrini on injured reserve. Like Gushchin and Smith, it’s unclear when Thompson might enter the Sharks’ lineup.

“I think he had a good camp,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said Monday of Thompson. “I think he’s moving a lot better than he did last year. He’s not as tentative. I think he’s more confident; he can move pucks. I think he’s learning every single day he’s here with us in the meetings or on the ice, and every day he’s here, he looks a little bit more comfortable.

“So (there’s) a reason why he’s here.”

Vitek Vanecek started Saturday’s game and stopped 28 of 29 shots.

The Sharks finish the road trip with games against Chicago on Thursday and Winnipeg on Friday.