The San Jose Sharks halted a five-game losing streak on Monday night, defeating the New York Islanders 3-2 following an eight-round shootout at SAP Center.
Rookie forward Ivar Stenberg secured the win by scoring the only goal during the eight-round shootout. Stenberg also scored in regulation, bringing his season total to six goals and placing him in a tie for the NHL rookie scoring lead. Tyler Toffoli added a goal and an assist for San Jose (8-11-1), while netminder Yaroslav Askarov stopped 30 shots.
Regulation Summary and Physical Play
The Islanders (7-6-4) opened the scoring early in the first period when Ben Hutton capitalized on a setup from Simon Holmstrom. San Jose leveled the score late in the opening period after Stenberg redirected a long attempt from Toffoli past New York goaltender Ilya Sorokin, who finished with 37 saves on the night.
New York regained the lead early in the second period via a power-play goal from Victor Eklund. The opportunity arose after Sharks center Alexander Wennberg was whistled for a penalty in his return to the lineup following a 10-game absence. San Jose equalized midway through the frame when Toffoli’s shot bounced off Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech and into the net, ending an eight-game goal drought for Toffoli.
Physical confrontation escalated late in the second period, resulting in four five-minute major penalties for fighting. San Jose’s Barclay Goodrow engaged with Mitchell Chaffee, while Ty Dellandrea fought New York’s Kyle MacLean.
The result marked the fourth consecutive defeat for the Islanders (0-2-2). Up next, San Jose hosts the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night, while New York travels to face the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night.
