The San Jose Sharks had the kind of opening period they were hoping for against one of the NHL’s heavyweight teams, taking a 1-0 lead over the Florida Panthers after 20 minutes at SAP Center.
That’s not a small thing for a club trying to make the playoffs and get a new era rolling. The Panthers arrived with the reputation of a Stanley Cup contender, and the Sharks answered the early test with poise, energy and enough pushback to make the first period feel like more than just a survival exercise.
Yaroslav Askarov was forced into action early, and he handled a difficult cross-crease pass cleanly. That stop helped turn the other way, with Igor Chernyshov using his speed to get behind the Panthers’ defense and put a shot on net from a sharp angle.
San Jose also got a clean breakout from Kesselring early in the period, as he chipped the puck off the boards for a self-pass and helped the Sharks move up ice. The Panthers, meanwhile, took a hit on the blue line when Gustav Forsling went down with an injury and was ruled out for the night, leaving Florida with five defensemen for the final 2 1/2 periods.
The physical edge showed up fast, too. Jacob Trouba picked up his first fighting major less than halfway through his Sharks stint after dropping the gloves in response to a heavy off-the-puck hit by Brady Tkachuk that knocked Macklin Celebrini’s helmet off.
San Jose also had to kill the first minor penalty of its season when Darnell Nurse was called for slashing, giving Florida’s dangerous power play a chance. The Sharks’ penalty kill held on the first shift and even generated a two-on-one rush with Nolan Allan and Barclay Goodrow headed toward Akira Schmid. Allan chose to shoot, but he sent it straight at the Panthers goalie.
The breakthrough came from Mason Marchment, who scored three quarters of the way through the opening frame and set off the Sharks’ new goal song, “Holiday” by Green Day, inside SAP Center.
Askarov came up big again not long after that, turning aside another threat in his own end.
San Jose then earned its first power play of the season when Seth Jones was whistled for interference with just under a minute left in the period. The Sharks didn’t convert before the horn, so that man advantage will carry over into the second.
After one period, the Sharks have more than held their own against a team many view as one of the NHL’s top contenders. They look better than they did a season ago. The next step is proving it over a full 60 minutes.
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Still, the path forward is not as simple as handing him the net. Askarov was inconsistent at times last season, which is why the coming months feel so important for both player and team. San Jose needs stability in goal, and Askarov is entering a season where he is expected to fight for a bigger share of the starts and prove he can turn promise into something more dependable. [Read more 🡒]