Collin Graf scored on the 2:40 mark of extra time to guide the surging San Jose Sharks to a dramatic 2-1 comeback win over the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night time at Grand On line casino Enviornment.
Graf’s objective got here on an odd-man rush as he took a cross from Macklin Celebrini and made a forehand to backhand transfer to beat Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson for his second objective of the season.
Graf’s objective got here after Will Smith scored on the ability play on the 11:57 mark of the third interval to tie the sport 1-1. On the play, Tyler Toffoli despatched a diagonal cross throughout the center of the ice within the Wild finish to Celebrini, who despatched it again throughout the ice to Smith, whose shot on web went by the pads of Gustavsson for his seventh objective of the season.
The Sharks (8-6-3) at the moment are 6-0-1 since shedding to the Los Angeles Kings on Oct. 28, and have now gained 4 straight video games for the primary time for the reason that begin of the 2021-22 season, after they started the yr 4-0-0. They end their street journey with video games towards the Calgary Flames on Thursday and the Seattle Kraken on Saturday.
Goaltender Yaroslav Askarov’s excellent efficiency on Tuesday gave the Sharks an opportunity to make a comeback.
Askarov, making an sudden begin, was the Sharks’ finest participant by two durations as he stopped 22 of 23 photographs, with the lone blemish being a Matt Boldy energy play objective on the 5:02 mark of the second interval. He completed with 28 saves.
The Sharks, in the meantime, solely managed 5 photographs in each the primary and second durations, together with one shot on Gustavsson of their first two energy performs. The Sharks have been ice chilly on the person benefit these days, changing just one of 23 possibilities over their final eight video games earlier than Smith scored within the third.
Smith now has factors in every of the previous 5 video games with a mixed three targets and 4 assists, and Celebrini had three targets and 4 assists in that point. Celebrini got here into Tuesday with a team-leading 24 factors, tied for fourth most within the NHL. With two assists on Tuesday, Celebrini now has 17 factors in simply seven street video games.
Nonetheless, the Sharks have been primarily dominated by the Wild at even power. The exception was the Sharks’ second line of Alexander Wennberg, Philipp Kurashev, and William Eklund, as that trio had six of San Jose’s first 13 photographs.
Eklund returned to the Sharks’ lineup on Tuesday after he missed the earlier 4 video games with a lower-body damage.
Goaltending, although, has been a giant cause for the Sharks’ turnaround this season.
Of their first 10 video games of the season, the Sharks had an .857 save share and, maybe not surprisingly, a 2-6-2 file. Within the subsequent six video games, the Sharks’ save share between Askarov and Alex Nedeljkovic rose to .961, and the staff went 5-0-1.
Nedeljkovic was anticipated to get the beginning towards the Wild, however, per the Sharks, had a private matter come up and was set to go away the staff and return to San Jose after the sport. As an alternative, Nedeljkovic sat on the bench as Askarov began for the third time within the final 4 video games.
Askarov was coming off a 38-save efficiency on Saturday when he made 38 saves in a 3-1 Sharks win over the Florida Panthers. In three begins this month earlier than Tuesday, Askarov is 3-0-0 with a .972 save share.
