Sharks Preseason: 3 Takeaways From Shootout Loss To Vegas Golden Knights

The San Jose Sharks drop to 0-2 in the 2026 preseason after a 2-1 shootout loss to rivals, the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Sharks dressed a more NHL-ready lineup, featuring 2026 NHL Draft No. 2 pick Ivar Stenberg. The winger’s line with Alexander Wennberg and Collin Graf showed off instant chemistry, but ultimately they failed to score.

Here are three takeaways from Tuesday’s loss.

1. Ivar Stenberg looks like he can hang

In his first NHL action for the San Jose Sharks, Stenberg didn’t look out of place. While the Golden Knights didn’t dress many NHLers, they played well. Stenberg had moments adjusting to the North American ice, but he played well.

He earned the primary assist on Michael Misa’s power-play goal by getting the puck to the net through traffic. Stenberg did get denied on a breakaway in overtime, which he admitted he wanted back, but he got some redemption in the shootout.

“I know what I wanted [to do],” Stenberg said. “It was nice because I missed the breakaway in overtime, so it was nice to put it in.”

2. Misa took control

Tuesday night was a game for the second overall pick in the San Jose Sharks, as Michael Misa also had a strong game. The 2025 No. 2 pick looked dominant at times and drove play better than anyone else on the roster.

The speed Misa played with, hyped leading up to the draft and through his rookie year, was on full display. He weaved through defenders easily, while still maintaining complete control. But what impressed coach Warsofsky the most wasn’t the offensive drive; it was his defense.

“He did a good job. I like his start. I thought he had some pace early, had a couple scoring opportunities, pace through the neutral zone,” Warsofsky said. “We’ve seen a little bit [of that] last year, but he was good defensively.”

Misa finished the game with four shots on goal and two blocks. One major area for improvement is still face-offs. The Sharks forward won just six of 14 draws. He started slowly but eventually won more, including late in the game.

He looked strong on the power play in his new left flank position. Misa played as the net-front man on the second power-play unit last season.

3. Askarov looks strong

One of the three focus points heading into Tuesday’s game was Yaroslav Askarov. The goalie looked way calmer in the crease. He stood tall and made the easy saves look easy.

Although Warsofsky isn’t a goalie guru, he was happy with what he saw from his No. 1 goalie.

“He was good. I thought he was really good, sharp early, made some saves, got into it,” Warsofsky said. “He was a lot calmer than we’ve seen him. There’s probably some puck touches that we need to get the communication down with our defensemen, but yeah, I thought he was good.”

Expectations for Askarov to take control as the Sharks’ No. 1 goalie are high, and if he can bring what he brought on Tuesday into the regular season, he’ll be in good shape.