Ivar Stenberg and Tyler Toffoli supplied the goals, and the San Jose Sharks outlasted the New York Islanders 3-2 in a shootout at SAP Center.
The game opened with a weird one for the Islanders, as Hutton scored on a play that looked strange on replay. San Jose answered with Stenberg’s goal, a sequence that started when Dellandrea kept the puck alive. Stenberg drove the net, Toffoli fired, and the deflection found its way in.
The Sharks kept pushing in the second period and got another from Eklund. Dellandrea was a step slow on the play, then recovered and shaded harder toward Schaefer, apparently following the plan, but Eklund still found the soft spot.
Toffoli added another shortly after, with the puck going off Pelech’s face and in. Pelech stayed in the game, and the shot did not appear to be a hard one.
The third period brought the tension and a few heated moments. Marchment took a penalty after appearing to get some shots in while Eklund was covered up, with the refs shielding him, though the question was why Eklund did not get a boarding minor as well. At 10 minutes in, the Sharks got what was described as a rare double make-up call after Goodrow skated the puck out, Ostapchuk drew a trip, and Palat was whistled for hooking.
San Jose had chances in the final eight minutes of regulation, including a 4-on-3 where Celebrini had one in the slot and Smith rang a shot off the post. The Sharks also went with Celebrini, Smith, Wennberg and Stenberg when they needed a goal.
Misa later created another look with a stretch pass from Pohlkamp, then still managed to get off a shot while an Islander was draped over him. With one minute left, Wennberg helped kill a low play against Homstrom before Kesselring came away with the puck.
Wennberg logged heavy minutes throughout the night. His regulation ice time was 21:41, with Celebrini at 21:16 and Smith at 21:09. Wennberg led San Jose forwards in ice time.
The Sharks finally got their first point in six games, and they earned it. In overtime, Wennberg-Celebrini-Dickinson started the period, and when Misa was on the ice, Celebrini gave him the puck and backed way into the neutral zone in a cat-and-mouse sequence with the Islanders’ defense. With two minutes left, Wennberg ripped the puck away from Palmieri along the wall and looked healthy doing it.
San Jose finished the job in the shootout to seal the 3-2 win.
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