Sharks vs. Senators: Yaroslav Askarov Stops 41 as San Jose Finally Lands a Regulation Win, 6-2 in Ottawa

Every one of the San Jose Sharks' first five wins this season needed overtime or a shootout. People noticed. Collin Graf certainly did. "There's been some comments from people, you know, looking for regulation wins, so it's nice to finally get that," he said.

The Sharks finally got one, beating the Ottawa Senators 6-2 on Thursday night at Canadian Tire Centre. Yaroslav Askarov made 41 saves, Graf and Jacob Trouba each had a goal and an assist, and San Jose scored twice while shorthanded. Ottawa outshot the Sharks 43-28 and still lost by four, which tells you most of what you need to know about the goaltending.

Ottawa Strikes First, Allan Answers

The Senators struck first with a delayed-penalty trick. Tim Stutzle hopped on as the extra attacker, took a cross-ice feed from Drake Batherson in the left circle and slipped a wrist shot through Askarov's legs at 6:16 of the first. Warren Foegele had the second assist, and Stutzle had his seventh of the season.

San Jose answered at 11:04 when defenseman Nolan Allan snapped one over Samuel Ersson's glove into the top corner, with Dmitry Orlov assisting. The Sharks lost forward Igor Chernyshov late in the period, though. NHL.com said he blocked a Nikolas Matinpalo slap shot off his left arm and left with 3:49 remaining in the first, and that he would be evaluated Friday.

Four Minutes, Three Flavors

The second period is where San Jose won the game. In a span of 4:05, the Sharks scored on the power play, shorthanded and at even strength.

First, with Jake Sanderson off for tripping, Tyler Toffoli threw a long wrist shot through traffic that beat Ersson at 9:13. Kiefer Sherwood and Trouba drew the assists.

Then came the backbreaker. Darnell Nurse went off for roughing, and on the Ottawa power play, Graf stripped Stephen Halliday in the San Jose end and took off. He dropped it to Ty Dellandrea, kept driving and dove to tap the return pass into an open net at 12:00. Sam Dickinson picked up the second assist.

"I think it was, you know, a bit of a bobbled puck, and for us that means go," Graf said.

At 13:18, Graf pulled three Senators into the left corner and found Trouba alone in front for a tap-in, with Nurse also assisting. Just like that, it was 4-1.

Askarov then delivered the highlight of the night. He made 18 saves in the second, per NHL.com, including a diving glove stop on Batherson at 18:04 that kept the lead at three. "That was a super-quick play," Askarov said. "I know I was late, and I was like, 'Just dive to the right side.'"

Dellandrea had the best seat in the house. "Unbelievable, unbelievable," he said.

Ottawa Pushes, San Jose Seals It

Jordan Spence pulled the Senators within 4-2 at 6:24 of the third, ripping a wrist shot from between the circles off a Fabian Zetterlund saucer pass for his first goal of the season. Ottawa kept pressing, and after Macklin Celebrini went off for tripping, the Senators pulled Ersson on the power play with under four minutes left. It backfired. Zack Ostapchuk took advantage of a giveaway and scored into the empty net at 16:31, San Jose's second shorthanded goal of the night, and Ivar Stenberg added another empty-netter at 19:43.

NHL.com noted it was the first time the Sharks scored multiple shorthanded goals in a game since Dec. 7, 2023.

Askarov Shuts the Door

Askarov stopped 41 of 43 shots for a .953 save percentage, and NHL.com noted he had been 0-4-0 in his previous four starts. That is a big reset.

"Thought our goaltender was great," San Jose coach Ryan Warsofsky said. "We were under siege for the majority of that game."

Graf was the best skater on the ice, finishing with a goal and an assist in 19:32. Trouba had a goal, an assist and a plus-3 in 23:47, Sherwood had two assists and five hits, and Dellandrea won nine faceoffs against five losses to go with his assist.

For Ottawa, Stutzle extended his point streak to three games (two goals, two assists) and played 22:54. Ersson stopped 22 of 26 for an .846 save percentage.

Turning Point: Graf's Shorthanded Strike

Down 2-1 with a power play, Ottawa had a clean chance to tie it. Instead, Graf turned a bobbled puck into a two-goal San Jose lead, and Trouba made it three a little over a minute later. The Senators spent the rest of the night chasing.

Stats That Matter

• 43-28: Ottawa's edge in shots. The Senators had the volume; the Sharks had the goalie.
• 2: San Jose's shorthanded goals.
• 0-for-3: Ottawa's power play, which gave up two goals.
• 17-9: San Jose's edge in blocked shots.
• .953: Askarov's save percentage.

What It Means

San Jose improves to 6-4-1 with 13 points, has won two straight and is 4-2-1 on the road. The Sharks visit Boston on Saturday night.

Ottawa falls to 7-4-0 with 14 points and has lost two of its past three, a night after a 5-1 home win over Florida. The Senators also placed goalie Linus Ullmark on injured reserve after he left Wednesday's game with a lower-body strain, per NHL.com, and Jonas Johansson was recalled from Belleville of the AHL to back up Ersson. Spence pointed to the schedule. "I think all the back-to-backs we had, we've lost," he said. Ottawa hosts the New York Rangers on Saturday night.

"I thought we played a pretty good game; thought we shot ourselves in the foot," coach Travis Green said.

Beating the Level Without a Continue

For three weeks, the Sharks kept clearing levels on their last life: overtime, shootout, overtime again. This time they beat the stage in regulation, with a goalie playing like the final boss and two shorthanded goals as bonus points.

Graf summed it up best: "Maybe a little bit of a mixed bag here tonight, but you know, good teams find ways to win."

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details from the Associated Press and NHL.com; postgame quotes as reported by NHL.com.