By Mary Walsh
OTTAWA– Nolan Allan, Tyler Toffoli, Collin Graf, Jacob Trouba, Zack Ostapchuk and Ivar Stenberg, scored for San Jose. Yaroslav Askarov made 41 saves for the win. Tim Stützle and Jordan Spence scored for Ottawa. Samuel Ersson made 22 saves in the loss. This was the Sharks’ first regulation win of the season and their first win in Ottawa since 2021.
The team scored two short-handed goals in the game. After the game, Collin Graf talked this aggressive penalty-killing: “Especially up ice, we’ve got a lot of fast guys out there, guys that have good sticks and can get up there so we’d might as well play to our strengths a little bit.”
The game saw the Sharks on their heels frequently, especially in the third period. The burden then fell to their goaltender Yaroslav Askarov to keep them in the game. Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky said: “We were under siege for the majority of that game. He made some big saves at big times.”
Tim Stützle gave Ottawa a lead at 6:16 of the first period. Drake Batherson made a cross-ice pass as Stützle skated to the net. Stützle caught the pass near the face-off dot and shot the puck by Askarov on the blocker side. Assists went to Batherson and Warren Foegele.
Nolan Allan tied the game at 11:04. Allan caught the puck along the boards and passed it up to Dmitry Orlov on the blue line. Orlov sent it back in as if to Igor Chernyshov but it went by him to Allan, who was on his way to the net. His snap shot went by Samuel Ersson on the glove side.
The shots were 11-8 San Jose in the first. There was only one penalty called in the first and it was to the Senators. The Sharks penalty kill allowed no shots.
The second period was very prolific for the Sharks. Tyler Toffoli started the scoring glut at 9:13 with a power play goal. After a back and forth with Kiefer Sherwood, Toffoli took his shot from just below the blue line and scored on the glove side. Assists went to Sherwood and Jacob Trouba.
Less than three minutes later, Collin Graf scored a short-handed goal with a diving shot. Graf broke the puck out, then made a drop-pass to Ty Dellandrea. Dellandrea sent it to the net for Graf. Assists went to Dellandrea and Sam Dickinson.
Less than two minutes after that, Trouba scored to make it 4-1. Darnell Nurse sent the puck to the corner where Graf tracked it down and centered it for Trouba’s snap shot.
The shots for the period were 18-11 Senators. The Sharks took two penalties to the Senators’ one. The Sharks penalty kill allowed six shots and scored one goal. Their power play had just two shots before they scored.
Jordan Spence got one back for the Senators at 6:24 of the third period. In a four-on-two rush, Fabian Zetterlund carried the puck in and then passed it to Spence for a wrist shot up the middle. Assists went to Zetterlund and Nikolas Matinpalo.
With Macklin Celebrini in the box for tripping Carter Yakenchuk, the Senators pulled their goaltender for a six-on-four power play. Instead, Zack Ostapchuk scored into an empty net to make it 5-2. Barclay Goodrow got the assist.
Ivar Stenberg scored a second empty-net goal at 19:43. Assists went to Kiefer Sherwood and Michael Misa.
The shots in the third period were 17-6 Senators.
Late in the first period, Igor Chernyshov blockee a shot and left the game. The Sharks were also playing without Alexander Wennberg for the second straight game due to injury. He is described as week-to-week.
The Sharks next play on Saturday at 4:00 PM PT in Boston against the Bruins.
