Instant Sharks analysis: Ivar Stenberg arrives, Igor Chernyshov nets winner, but Yaroslav Askarov plays starring role

Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News on Oct 4, 2026

Published in Hockey

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SAN JOSE, Calif. — Another announced sellout crowd at SAP Center watched the San Jose Sharks beat the Los Angeles Kings 5-4 in overtime on Saturday night. And no one wearing teal will complain about picking up another two points.

But the Sharks will want to clean a few things up before they begin a short two-game road trip next week.

Igor Chernyshkov scored his second goal of the game at the 3:18 mark of overtime, taking a pass from Macklin Celebrini and one-timing it past Kings goalie Anton Forsberg.

Chernyshov also scored a breakaway goal 4:08 into the third period to give the Sharks a 4-2 lead. But the Sharks allowed goals to Erik Haula and Artemi Panarin in 4:38 as the Kings kept up the pressure on Yaroslav Askarov, who was under siege at times.

As it was, Askarov’s 31-save performance was the main reason why the Sharks will carry a 2-0-0 record into Monday’s road game against the Dallas Stars.

The Sharks took three penalties and gave up two power-play goals, turned the puck over a ton — with captain Celebrini listed with four giveaways — and they were simply outworked and outskated by the Kings for large portions of the game.

Askarov had 17 saves through two periods and was forced to make 28 saves during 5-on-5 play. The Sharks managed just 17 shots in regulation time during 5-on-5 play. Askarov also came up big on Thursday with 23 saves in the Sharks’ 4-3 overtime win over the Florida Panthers.

—Takeaways from Saturday’s game

—STENBERG ARRIVES

Ivar Stenberg, who picked up his first NHL point on Saturday, is in an ideal spot in his rookie season with the Sharks.

Unlike many players picked first or second overall, Stenberg doesn’t need to come in and be a savior for the Sharks, who already have Celebrini and Will Smith as their leading scorers. Stenberg also joins a team that isn’t in the NHL basement and is expected to be in the mix for a playoff spot.

With the Sharks on a power play, Stenberg, on the left flank, took a pass from Celebrini and found Tyler Toffoli on the doorstep for a tap-in goal 1:48 into the second period.

Winger Kiefer Sherwood and defenseman Nolan Allan also scored in the second period.

Stenberg, who has been on the Sharks’ second line with center Alexander Wennberg and Collin Graf since the start of training camp over three weeks ago, also logged 10:27 of ice time and blocked one shot through two periods.

Stenberg received that assignment because of his already strong two-way play, which helped him become the No. 2 overall pick in June’s NHL draft. Stenberg had 13:35 in ice time in his NHL debut.

—MATCHING UP

The Sharks finished in fifth place in the Pacific Division last season, four points behind the Kings for the second and final wild card spot in the Western Conference. To make the playoffs for the first time since 2019, they probably need to leapfrog Los Angeles, with Edmonton and Vegas thought to be division favorites.

This is a different Los Angeles team, though. Longtime center Anze Kopitar has retired, leaving the Kings a bit thin down the middle, but they’re playing at a much quicker pace than before under first-year coach Peter Laviolette, who has always preferred an up-tempo style.

That caused problems in the first period. After the Kings moved the puck quickly through the neutral zone, defenseman Nolan Allan had to haul down Quentin Byfield, who crashed into the Sharks net.

On the ensuing power play, Panarin held the puck below the faceoff dot to the right of Askarov before he zipped a seam pass through Jacob Trouba to Adrian Kempe, who one-timed a shot past Askarov for a 1-0 Kings lead.