The San Jose Sharks overcame a significant shot disadvantage to beat the Ottawa Senators 6-2 on Thursday night at Canadian Tire Centre. A three-goal second period and a brilliant performance in goal from Yaroslav Askarov sealed the victory for San Jose, defying the pregame analytics.
Askarov stopped 40 of 42 shots for a .952 save percentage, per SportsFBI, as Ottawa outshot San Jose 42-28. Tim Stützle opened the scoring for the Senators at 6:16 of the first, but Nolan Allan answered for the Sharks and the visitors took over from there.
Tyler Toffoli scored on the power play at 9:13 of the second, and Collin Graf delivered the game-winner at 12:00 — shorthanded — finishing a feed from Ty Dellandrea and Ty Dickinson. Jacob Trouba made it 4-1 just 78 seconds later. Jordan Spence pulled one back for Ottawa in the third, but Zack Ostapchuk’s shorthanded empty-netter at 16:31 closed out the 6-2 final.
Special teams decide it
San Jose’s penalty kill was the difference. The Sharks scored twice shorthanded — Graf’s winner and Ostapchuk’s empty-netter — while holding Ottawa’s power play in check. Graf finished with a goal and an assist, and Toffoli’s man-advantage strike gave the Sharks a lead they never surrendered.
It was a deflating night for the Senators (7-4-0), who had spoiled Brady Tkachuk’s Florida homecoming with a 5-1 win over the Panthers just a night earlier. San Jose improved to 6-4-1, winning the game its analytics said it should lose — SportsFBI’s model had favored Ottawa at 55 percent confidence before puck drop.
Goaltending clinic
Askarov’s 40-save night was the backbone. Ottawa generated chance after chance, particularly in the third while chasing the game, but the Sharks netminder held firm until the final horn. For a young San Jose team, winning a road game in which it was outshot by 14 is exactly the kind of result that builds belief — and with Graf’s shorthanded winner and two more shorthanded goals on the night, the special teams are giving the Sharks an identity. San Jose now has something tangible to point to when the next adversity arrives.
