The Sharks split their weekend doubleheader, falling 3-2 to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, but bouncing back Sunday night against the Bruins with a 3-1 victory.
Against the Senators, the Sharks blew a 2-1 lead they held in the 2nd period and were plagued by crucial errors and mental lapses throughout the night, culminating in poor line changes on both the 2nd and 3rd Senators goals. Warsofsky backed this up post-game by calling the team Immature.
After Warsofsky held a team meeting before Sunday’s game, the Sharks responded with one of their more competitive games of the season against the Bruins. The Sharks got the puck to the net, registering 30 shots on Swayman, beating him twice. Meanwhile, Askarov was sensational, stopping 34 of 35 shots. Graf put away the empty netter to give the Sharks the insurance marker in the final minutes.
The Sharks made a key change Sunday, moving Eklund up to the top line with Celebrini and Smith. The three forwards are the Sharks' top offensive weapons, and stacking them on one line could create a major offensive force for the Sharks. They are still trying to find chemistry as a line, but it’s a line combination that the Sharks have scarcely visited, mainly in an attempt to spread out the offence, but in theory, it could be one of their most potent combinations. Eklund and Celebrini are two of the Sharks' best defensive forwards, while all three are capable of creating and finishing at a high level. If the Sharks give this line some runtime to get comfortable, they may have a legit first line.
While the Sharks have been significantly better this season, a big reason they're in the hunt has to be credited to Yaroslav Askarov. The 23-year-old netminder has a 955% save percentage and a 7-1 record in November. A stat line that puts him on pace for the best goaltending month in San Jose Sharks history. Overall, his 8-5-1 record with a 2.83 GAA and 913% save percentage on the season should see him get some consideration for the Calder Trophy early in the season. It’s fair to say that after some early concerns this season, Askarov has made the necessary adjustments to find success in the NHL, and, along with Celebrini, who is 2nd in the NHL in scoring with 34 points, he has been an MVP for the Sharks and their early success.
The Sharks will have a couple of days off before they face a big test Wednesday night against the surging Avalanche, who have won 9 straight and dropped only one game in regulation this season. The Sharks did beat Colorado 3-2 in OT on November 1st; coincidentally, that was the last time they lost a game.