The Sharks returned home on Monday night,
limping back after a dismal 0-3-0 road trip. The friendly confines of SAP
Center turned into a goaltending exhibition as San Jose held off the New York
Islanders in an 8-round shootout. Yaroslav Askarov and Islanders goaltender
combined to make 67 save in regulation and overtime, then the stopped 15 of 16
shooters in the shootout, but it was San Jose that prevailed 3-2.
Askarov made 30 saves, including a game saving bicycle kick gem in the overtime
to help San Jose get back in the win column. San Jose has still been limited to
2 wins in regulation this season, but they'll take whatever they can after
dropping their last 5 games and 7 of their last 8.
Rookie Ivar
Stenberg was held until the 8th round of the shootout, but the kid calmly
skated in and beat Sorokin to help the Sharks to their 8th win of the season.
Special teams made things more difficult, misfiring on 4 power play chances and
a penalty kill that allowed another goal. That makes 9 in their last 4 games.
The Sharks continue to spend the early minutes of the game chasing the
puck, and then subsequently chasing their opponent on the scoreboard. The
Islanders applied the approach that has worked well against San Jose the last 3
weeks, which was to go at them and apply constant pressure.
The
younger Sharks are simply overwhelmed by that style. New York played fast and
heavy, which resulted in the puck in the Sharks end for most of the initial 8
minutes of the game. Recently acquired Ben Hutton took advantage of the
Islanders zone time by scoring his 1st goal of the season and his first for his
new team at 6:14.
San Jose had 4 skaters within 15 feet of the crease
and all of them stood and watched Simon Holmstrom make a feed to the left side
as Hutton skated toward the left post. Hutton put a puck on net from a tight
angle, but it slipped past Yaroslov Askarov for the game's first goal.
San Jose finally found their legs in the 2nd half of the opening period. Sam
Dickinson just missed on a 20-foot shot from the slot that rang off the right
post. San Jose used that as a launch point to get more pucks fired in Islander
goaltender Ilya Sorokin's direction.
Tyler Toffoli and Ivar Stenberg
teamed up with just over 3 minutes left in the period to knot up the game at
1-1. Toffoli carried a Ty Dellandrea feed around the top of the right circle,
then snapped a shot that was headed to the front of the net. Stenberg was
clogging up the space in the low slot, but he managed deflect Toffoli's shot
home for his 6th goal of the season.
The Sharks penalty killers were
called upon to stop a phantom tripping penalty called against Alexander
Wennberg 35 seconds into the 2nd period. Having given up 8 power play goals
over their last 3 games, the odds were not on San Jose' side.
Former
Shark William Eklund's kid brother Victor made the Sharks pay for the shoddy
officiating by pumping a shot past Askarov from the slot at 1:11 to put the
Islanders back on top.
The Sharks were awarded a power play at 10:06
after Kyle McLean hauled down Macklin Celebrini. The Sharks didn't score on the
man-advantage, but they would shortly after the penalty expired.
Tyler
Toffoli was credited with his 5th of the season after he lifted a puck that hit
Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech in the visor, deflecting it into the net for
the equalizer.
Things got testy late in the period after Mitchell
Chaffee hit Stenberg with a clean hit against the penalty box glass. Barclay
Goodrow engaged Chaffee on the ensuing puck drop, which was then joined by
MacLean and Ty Dellenadrea in a separate scrap.
San Jose opened the 3rd period by committing a
series of turnovers that could have spelled doom, but Askarov bailed out his
teammates with a trio of saves that kept the game tied.
The game
turned upside down at 8:52 when Eklund pasted Kiefer Sherwood with a hit from
behind. Mason Marchment immediately went after Eklund as Sherwood lay face down
on the ice after racking his head on the lip of the boards.
The play
went to video review where it was determined that Eklund's hit did not warrant
a penalty and Marchment was assessed a roughing double minor.
San Jose
worked a 2-on-2 short-handed break that drew a hooking penalty on Ondrej Palat
and a tripping penalty by former Shark Anthony Duclair. That setup a 4-on-3
power play, but the Sharks could not take advantage of the crazy scenario. The
closest they came was a Will Smith shot that clanked off the crossbar.
In the overtime period Askarov was tasked with making a crazy kick save on a
shot that was thigh high. He saved the day for an offense that still continues
to generate much scoring.
His overtime and shootout performance was
gem quality.
Game Notes: * Alexander Wennberg returned
to the roster for the first time in 10 games after rehabilitating a lower body
injury.
* With Wennberg returning to the active roster the Sharks
returned Filip Bystedt to the San Jose Barracuda on Monday.
* Igor
Chernyshov skated on Monday, but his status is still wee-to-week. The Russian
forward was hit in the chest on the Sharks 6-game road trip in October. He has
now missed 9 games.
* The Sharks continue to struggle in the faceoff
circle. They won 23 of 55 draws for a 42% win percentage. Wennberg was 10 for
26 (38%). Brayden Schenn was 10-for-13 to lead New York (77%).
*
Defenseman Michael Kesselring played what was arguably his best game as a
Sharks. He was quick to activate when the opportunity presented itself. The
blueliner had 4 shots, 2 hits and a blocked shot to round out his night. .
