‘Brick wall' Yaroslav Askarov spurs Sharks' shootout win to end losing streak

Yaroslav Askarov ‘Brick wall' Yaroslav Askarov spurs Sharks' shootout win to end losing streak Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov stood tall over eight shootout rounds to help San Jose end its skid and outlast the New York Islanders on Monday. By Will Simonds • Published November 9, 2026 • Updated on November 9, 2026 at 11:38 pm The Sharks broke their five-game losing streak with a 3-2 shootout victory Monday night over the New York Islanders at SAP Center. Rookie Ivar Stenberg delivered another big performance , scoring a goal in the first period before finally ending the shootout in the eighth round to give San Jose both points. Watch NBC Bay Area News free wherever you are WATCH HERE But the Tank wasn't chanting his name after the win, and it wasn't due to any fault by the impressive 19-year-old. That privilege was reserved for goaltender Yaroslav Askarov , who was a primary reason why Stenberg even had the chance to win it in the first place. The Tank shows some love for Asky 🫶 pic.twitter.com/YfgllY3ntj — Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) November 10, 2026 Askarov and Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin -- who rightfully earned the first and second stars of the game, respectively, with a combined 67 saves -- stood tall for seven rounds in the shootout. But it was Sorokin who folded first. The secret to Askarov's shootout success? Waiting for the skater to move first, and then try to stop the puck, he told NBC Sports California's Drew Remenda on the ice. San Jose Sharks Sharks Analysis Nov 8 Sharks rookie Ivar Stenberg shows impressive 5-on-5 flashes despite another loss Sharks Analysis Nov 7 Key area of disconnect continues to plague Sharks in fourth straight loss Seems simple enough. And it earned him plenty of praise from his teammates and coach. "He's a brick wall back there. He's playing great," winger Mason Marchment told reporters. "You can hear him talking out there, which is awesome. He was huge for us tonight, for sure." "He was really good, saves eight Grade A's in a row in the shootout," coach Ryan Warsofsky added. "He was really good in the third period as well; he made some really big saves when we were on our heels." Arguably Askarov's best save of the night, though, came in overtime. The Islanders got a two-on-one rush early in the extra period, and Brayden Schenn passed across net to Bo Horvat for what easily could have been the winner. But Askarov somehow managed to slide across net and throw up his right leg pad for a miraculous kick save to keep the game going. Another look at Asky's UNBELIEVABLE save in overtime 🔥 (➡️ @Xfinity ) pic.twitter.com/UCiDvxmnVL — Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) November 10, 2026 Compared to that denial, his shootout saves were all plain sailing. It's been an up-and-down season for Askarov, who got hot in the latter half of October before a couple rough outings amid San Jose's team-wide slump leading up to Monday night. But the Sharks will hope tonight's clutch performance will spark another strong stretch for their top goaltender as they look to pile up some wins. The Sharks (8-11-1) will be back in action against the Pittsburgh Penguins (6-10-2) at 7 p.m. PT on Wednesday at SAP Center to wrap up their homestand. Download and follow the San Jose Hockey Now podcast This article tagged under: Yaroslav Askarov Ivar Stenberg