Yaroslav Askarov shines, but scoring woes continue in loss to Sabres

Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News on Oct 28, 2026

Published in Hockey

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SAN JOSE – Sharks players and coaches talked during their recent road trip about how they won one or two games they perhaps didn’t deserve while also leaving points on the table on other nights.

It’s debatable whether the Sharks deserved to beat the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday. They created enough chances to open their four-game homestand on a positive note but couldn’t solve Sabres goalie Colten Ellis in a 2-0 loss before an announced crowd of 14,900 at SAP Center.

Olen Zellweger scored 50 seconds into the second period and Zach Benson scored an empty-net goal with 54.1 seconds left to seal the win for Buffalo.

Yaroslav Askarov was again outstanding, finishing with 38 saves, but the Sharks lost for the fourth time in six games.

The Sharks were outshot 30-16 through two periods, but both Collin Graf and Michael Misa nearly scored with Grade A chances around the net in the second.

Graf was set up for a tap-in goal by Macklin Celebrini at the side of the Sabres’ net midway through the second before Ellis stretched out and made a dazzling save.

Just a minute earlier, Michael Misa’s close-range shot, with Ellis out of position, hit defenseman Michael Kesselring’s skate.

The loss came on the heels of the Sharks’ recently completed six-game road trip in which they went 3-2-1. The Sharks won in Montreal and Ottawa, where they were largely outplayed, but they also blew a two-goal lead in a shootout loss to the Detroit Red Wings.

The Sharks next host the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.

Takeaways from Tuesday’s game

Askarov’s game

Askarov made 29 saves in the first two periods. The only blemish was Olen Zellweger’s perfect post-and-in shot on a rush chance that beat Askarov on the blocker side. Otherwise, Askarov was the only reason why the Sharks were within a goal for most of the second period.

The Sharks want to make things easier for their goalies by cutting down high-danger chances against, especially in front of their own net. But life inside the Sharks’ zone remains an adventure.

The Sharks allowed 16 shots in the first period, including 14 during 5-on-5 play, and per Natural Stat Trick, seven high-danger chances. That’s playing with fire.

Askarov was starting for the third time in the last five games after two impressive performances last week on the road.

Askarov was making his third start in the last five games. In starts against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators last week, Askarov combined to stop 70 of 74 shots for a sparkling .946 save percentage.

The new lines

The Sharks, for the most part, haven’t created enough chances on offense during 5-on-5 play this season. Entering Tuesday, they scored just 16 times during 5-on-5 play in 12 games, one of the lowest per-game averages in the NHL.

They tried something new Tuesday, putting their two leading scorers the past two seasons, Celebrini and Will Smith, on separate lines. Celebrini started the game alongside wingers Graf and Ivar Stenberg, and Smith and Mason Marchment were wingers on center Misa’s line.

It was a good test for Smith, who, as one might expect, has had much more success on Celebrini’s line than off it throughout his NHL career. During 5-on-5 play, the two were on the ice together for 68 Sharks goals, while allowing just 52. Without Celebrini, Smith and his various linemates have been on the ice for 33 Sharks goals and allowed 44.

Can he, Misa, and Marchment develop chemistry as a trio and provide needed scoring punch? In turn, could Graf and Stenberg keep pace with Celebrini?

Early signs were positive despite the shutout loss. The Celebrini line created enough chances during 5-on-5 play while the Misa line and the third line of Ty Dellandrea, Tyler Toffoli and Kiefer Sherwood held their own.

Perhaps it’s enough to keep the lines together for another game. Over the next few weeks, at least, the Sharks will have to find a way to win games without their top shutdown centerman in Alexander Wennberg and a top-six winger in Igor Chernyshov.

Getting defensive

Along with tweaking the forward lines, the Sharks adjusted their defense pairs. The Darnell Nurse-Jacob Trouba pair mostly looked like a veteran tandem, staying calm in their own end.

The newly formed defense pair of Sam Dickinson and Michael Kesselring struggled with the puck in the first period, but seemed to improve as the game went on. Luca Cagnoni, a healthy scratch the last three games, looked refreshed as he tried to make plays with his skating. It might have been something for him to build on.