Behind a night where Yaroslav Askarov looked nearly impossible to beat, the Sharks survived Boston’s pressure, capitalized when it mattered and walked out with a gritty 3–1 win built on effort, urgency, and goaltending brilliance.

First period

The puck dropped at 5:08 p.m., and Alex Wennberg won the faceoff. In the first five minutes, the Sharks were playing at a good pace. Askarov was standing tall, making good stops, and overall being able to keep track of the puck. Will Smith was able to get two good looks.

The Sharks were then on the team’s first power play of the game when Pavel Zacha took two for tripping.

Tyler Toffoli was the first to get a shot, but Jeremy Swayman was on it. The Sharks were able to keep it in the Boston zone, but were not able to get it into the net. It felt like they were forcing plays, and it just was not working. The power play ended scoreless.

The Bruins were fast. Around the nine-minute mark, they were skating really well, making the Sharks a bit dizzy. Ty Dellandrea got caught up in it and was sent to the penalty box for a tripping minor. The Sharks had their first penalty kill.

It took a minute, but the Sharks fought hard to keep the puck out of Boston’s possession. Eventually, the puck was cleared and bought some time. They were able to do it a second time, and before you knew it, the PK was over, and San Jose held their ground.

And then there was a third penalty in the first period. This time, Nikita Zadorov was in the box, taking two minutes for tripping and the Sharks had another chance at a power play.

Macklin Celebrini got the first shot, and the team was looking a little bit weaker than their last PP. The puck left the zone a few times and the Sharks weren’t able to produce. The power play, once again, was a fruitless effort for the Sharks.

However, the team was able to carry some of that momentum into even strength play and the defense produced San Jose’s first goal of the night. Mario Ferraro sent the puck to Shakir Mukhamadullin, who fired it past the right corner. His first of the season.

For the final two minutes of the frame, the Sharks held on to that energy. They were steady. They kept it until the final buzzer and went into the next period in the lead. 1-0.

Second period

In the first four minutes, the Bruins were looking better. They started beating the Sharks to pucks. They spent the majority of the time in front of Askarov, and San Jose crumbled a little bit.

Adam Gaudette then went to the box for interference, and Boston was on a power play … again.

Askarov was tried in the first twenty seconds, twice. It was a lot of pressure, but he stayed put. The Sharks took up time and were able to get it out of the zone in the last forty seconds. Though Boston created many chances, none landed. The penalty was killed off.

Askarov continued to make incredible saves. Eventually, the Sharks got another power play at eight minutes left, when Boston took two minutes for tripping.

They capitalized immediately, and it was a Macklin Celebrini power play goal, his fourteenth goal of the season.

Things stayed neutral until the last three minutes, when Ferraro got into it with Jonathan Aspirot, and Ferraro resisted. Aspirot was sent for a minor, but that wasn’t the end. Boston was given another minor for roughing. It was time for some five-on-three.

The Sharks had a little bit of trouble moving in the opening minute. Celebrini and Smith kept looking for their moment, but it wasn’t coming. There were 20 seconds left until 5 on 4, and they choked. William Eklund was sent to serve a minor holding penalty.

The clock ran out for San Jose, and it started for Boston. The Sharks were down a man, and the Bruins were making very good chances. The Sharks got the puck out of the zone when the period ended, but they still had forty-five seconds of the Eklund penalty to serve in the third period. Luckily, the Sharks also had the 2-0 lead.

Third period

The penalty was killed, four minutes went by, Askarov was making huge saves. Once the Sharks got into the Boston zone, they were composed. They had room to breathe and not giving the Bruins anything.

In the seventh minute, frustrations got high and Guadette and Henri Jokiharju went at it, and only Jokiharju took the penalty. This was the Sharks 6th power play of the game.

But it was another scoreless run.

Two minutes later, Morgan Geekie was right there, when a pass from David Pastranak found his stick and then the net. Boston finally found a way to get one past Askarov and cut the Sharks’ lead in half. 2-1 Sharks.

The most part of the period was just the continuation of Askarov’s amazing game. He had 31 saves with three minutes left.

With one minute left, Boston pulled Jeremy Swayman, but it was not to be. A quick defensive play in the neutral zone by Macklin Celebrini prevented the Bruins from entering the Sharks’ zone. Celebrini popped the puck up to Eklund who went for the empty net. While Eklund missed, Collin Graf didn’t. He sealed the deal for the Sharks, solidifying a 3-1 win.

at the blueline and and it was all smooth from the Sharks. Collin Graf got. sweet angle and sealed the deal for San Jose, with the assists from Celebrini and Eklund.

The game ended, and the Sharks came out with an important win.

Postgame

The Sharks had stretches where they looked sharp and composed, and stretches where Boston’s pace put them on their heels, but the difference was that San Jose worked for this win. That was the theme, the tone, the echo from every corner of the room.

Celebrini didn’t hesitate when asked what changed the energy of this team in the past stretch.

“He’s just been unreal,” he said of Askarov. “You can’t really put into words. He’s our rock every night.”

Askarov finished with 32 saves and several that had no business staying out of the net. 

And from Askarov himself, the mood was simple: winning feels like oxygen.

“It’s way more fun,” he said, “You’re going to bed smiling, you’re waking up still smiling. It’s a great feeling.”

That lightness wasn’t there weeks ago.

Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky didn’t sugarcoat what got them here. For him, it wasn’t some magic system shift or a highlight moment. It was will.

“When we compete and we’re in puck battles and winning puck battles, we have success from it,” he said. “The contrast is pretty black and white.” 

Last night, the Sharks were on the right side of it.

He pointed to the little things.

“It’s not the most pretty play, the sexiest play, but it’s the right play,” Warsofsky said. “And that usually comes down to how hard we are competing.”

And maybe the clearest sign of who the Sharks are becoming? Warsofsky felt the building, the bench, even the bodies on the ice humming again.

“Their brains were turned on. They had purpose to their game,” he said. 

That purpose showed in every PK clear, every scramble Askarov fought through, every power-play reset until Celebrini finally cashed one in.

It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t meant to be. But the Sharks are starting to look like a team that understands what it takes to win, and even more importantly, a team that’s hungry to keep doing it.

Scoring summary Boston Bruins at San Jose Sharks Nov. 23, 2025

First period
15:53 SJS Shakir Mukhamadullin from Mario Ferraro and Barclay Goodrow

Second period
11:45 SJS Macklin Celebrini from Dmitry Orlov and Tyler Toffoli on the power play

Third period
10:02 BOS Morgan Geekie from David Pastrnak and Henri Jokiharju
18:53 SJS Collin Graf from William Eklund and Macklin Celebrini into the empty net