After all the pomp and circumstance of opening
night wore off, the Sharks hit the ice for the next of 83 games this season on
Saturday night at SAP Center. Like their overtime win on opening night, the
Sharks were forced to dig deep in extra time to beat the Los Angeles Kings. San
Jose allowed an opponent to comeback from a 2-goal deficit in the 3rd period
once again, but like their win over the Florida Panthers, they scored in
overtime to take the 2 points. Igor Chernyshov was the man of the hour, bagging
the game winner 3:18 into the extra period to cap a 3 point night.
Chernyshov finished the game with a pair of goals and an assist to lead all
scorers. Macklin Celebrini assisted on the game winner to record his 2nd
consecutive multi-point night, adding 2 assists to the effort.
What
really matters in winning and the Sharks are getting the job done. They found a
way to secure the 2 points once again. There are plenty of areas to clean up
however. They are all professionals, but there is still a feeling out period
that the players need to work through. The roster had significant turnover this
summer and players are still trying to figure out how to play with each other.
A slew of penalties on opening night stymied San Jose, preventing them
from building on their lead. It was a bad habit that the Sharks need to nip in
the bud. They did not 14:%3 into the opening period when Nolan Allan was called
for hooking.
Los Angeles took full advantage of the man advantage when
Adrian Kempe pumped a shot from the right side past Yaroslav Askarov for the
1-0 Kings lead.
Alex Laferriere tried bullying Thursday hero Luca
Cagnoni by going after him after the period horn sounded. That transgression
cost the Kings by putting the Sharks on the power play to start the 2nd period.
San Jose countered Kempe's goal by potting a power play tally of their
own. Tyler Toffoli converted for his first goal of the season with a shot from
the left side after rookie Ivar Stenberg set him up perfectly with a feed from
the off wing. The assist was Stenberg's 1st NHL point, coming in his 2nd game
as a pro.
San Jose jumped out front at 9:52 when Kiefer Sherwood
intercepted a puck in the Kings zone and snapped a shot from the slot past
goaltender Anton Forsberg.
Defenseman Nolan Allan atoned for his
penalty that led to the Kings 1st period power play goal by pumping a shot past
Forsberg less than 3 minutes after Sherwood's goal. The goal was Allan's 1st
point as a Shark and 2nd career tally. He scored for the Chicago Blackhawks
back in 2024. Michael Misa and Igor Chernyshov earned assists on the play for
their 1st points of the season.
All the energy generated from the 3
goals was flushed late in the period when Macklin Celebrini was called for
slashing. The Kings once again struck on the power play, cutting the Sharls
lead to a single goal. Quinton Byfield carried the puck into the right circle
before firing it past Askarov with just 1.3 seconds remaining in the period.
The Kings came out blazing in the 3rd period, motivated by the need to
equalize. Things opened up and the Sharks took advantage. Toffoli made it a 2
point night when he found linemate Igor Chernyshov streaking up the middle of
the ice. The young Russian gathered Toffoli's pass and skated in on Forsberg
before lifting a backhand chance for his 1st goal of the season.
Erik Haula made it a game with 9:39 left in
regulation by deflecting an Erik Gustafsson shot past Askarov. Haula interfered
with Dmitry Orlov before positioning himself in front of Askarov. The Sharks
defenseman was late to clear our the Kings forward, allowing him to be in the
right place at the right time. The puck clipped Haula's stick perfectly for the
redirection and a 3rd Kings goal.
Allan committed his 2nd fatal gaff
of the night when a weak clearing attempt landed on Byfield's stick. The puck
then ended up on Artemi Panerin's stick for a blast that tied the game at 4-4
with 5 minutes to play.
The Sharks were lucky to get to overtime. They
were flat on zone entries late in the contest and Los Angeles was motivated.
After giving up 8 goals to the Edmonton Oilers in their season opener, Los
Angeles was motivated to earn the win. That wasn't to be.
The Kings
controlled the puck for the majority of the overtime, but Chernyshov was able
to work his magic.
Game Notes: * It was new Shark
family night at SAP Center on Saturday. Both Ivar Stenberg and Darnell Nurse's
parents were in the building to see their sons play on home ice. Stenberg's
parents made the trek from Sweden. Nurse's parents are from Ontario, Canada.
* Yaroslav Askarov made 31 saves to earn his 2nd consecutive win. His
counterpart, Anton Forsberg stopped 20 of shots to take the loss.
*
Igor Chernyshov's final line: 2 goals, 1 assist, +3, 2 shots, 3 shot attempts
blocked, 1 giveaway.
* Luca Cagnoni, Zack Ostapchuk and Tyler Toffoli
led the Sharks with 3 shots each. San Jose recorded 25 shots in the game, which
trailed Los Angeles by 11 shots. San Jose allowed 14 shots in the pivotal 3rd
period where their 2-goal lead evaporated.
* The Florida Panthers
announced on Saturday that Aleksander Barkov was moved to the long term injured
reserve after suffering what appeared to be a knee injury in the Sharks opening
night game on Thursday. Barkov went down awkwardly in the opening period of the
Panthers 4-3 overtime loss to San Jose.
