Ivar Stenberg Is Trending in America: the Rookie Scored in Regulation, Then Won an Eight-Round Shootout for the Sharks
San Jose's 19-year-old rookie was the only shooter to score in eight rounds Monday night, ending the Sharks' five-game losing streak against the Islanders - and sending his name up the U.S. search board overnight.
Ivar Stenberg was the No. 3 search in the United States overnight, and for once the reason fits on one scoresheet line: the San Jose Sharks rookie scored in regulation on Monday night, then scored the only goal of an eight-round shootout to beat the New York Islanders 3-2 and snap San Jose's five-game losing streak.
Stenberg put the Sharks on the board at 16:41 of the first period, deflecting a Tyler Toffoli shot past Ilya Sorokin to tie the game at 1. Toffoli finished with a goal and an assist, and goaltender Yaroslav Askarov made 30 saves to carry a 2-2 game through overtime and deep into a shootout in which the first 15 attempts were stopped.
The finish made Stenberg, the second overall pick in this summer's draft, the story of the league's Monday night. The Associated Press noted he now has six goals and is tied for the scoring lead among NHL rookies, on a Sharks team that improved to 8-11-1 - still a rebuilding record, but one with a teenager at the center of it.
Monday was the first of two meetings this season between the Islanders and the Sharks, who visit New York on December 4. For one night, though, the standings mattered less than the search board: a shootout that would not end, and the rookie who finally ended it.
