November 22nd 2024.
On Thursday night, highly anticipated goalie Yaroslav Askarov made his debut for the San Jose Sharks. Despite his impressive performance of 29 saves, the St. Louis Blues managed to spoil his debut by handing the Sharks a 3-2 shootout loss.
Askarov started off a bit shaky, allowing a goal just 11 seconds into the game. However, he quickly regained his composure and turned away the first two shots in the shootout. Unfortunately, Jake Neighbours of the Blues was able to score on the third attempt, leaving the Sharks unable to convert any of their three attempts.
The Sharks had a chance to take the lead in overtime when Alexander Wennberg scored his second goal of the game with only 8.8 seconds left in regulation. However, the Sharks were unable to capitalize and ultimately fell short in the shootout.
Askarov, the Sharks' top goalie prospect, was called up from the AHL's San Jose Barracuda on Monday and served as the backup for Mackenzie Blackwood in their recent games against the Detroit Red Wings and Dallas Stars.
The Blues wasted no time in scoring against Askarov, with Radek Faksa intercepting a pass and Nathan Walker slipping a wrist shot into the back of the net. The Sharks were never able to take the lead, but Wennberg managed to tie the game twice, with his first goal coming just eight minutes after the Blues' initial lead. Askarov showed resilience after the early goal, stopping the next 16 shots before Jordan Kyrou scored on a tip-in halfway through the second period.
The Blues, who have been averaging the third-fewest shot attempts per game in the NHL, came out aggressively against the rookie goalie. Their 31 shots were tied for the second-most they have taken this season, with their season-high being 40 against Blackwood in a previous game against the Sharks.
Askarov was acquired by the Sharks from the Nashville Predators in a trade this past summer, which was considered one of the team's biggest moves. This game marked his first appearance in the NHL since December 30, 2023, when he helped the Predators secure a 3-2 shootout win against the Washington Capitals. In his three career NHL games, Askarov has a record of 1-1-0 with a .914 save percentage.
Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky spoke highly of Askarov earlier in the week, stating, "Talented kid. Excited to see him." Askarov is currently getting an opportunity to play due to starting goalie Vitek Vanecek being day-to-day with an upper-body injury sustained in a game last Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. While Vanecek did practice on Wednesday, it is uncertain if he will be available for the Sharks' next game against the Buffalo Sabres.
The Sharks were hoping to bounce back from their previous loss to the Dallas Stars, where they fell behind by two goals in the second period and were unable to recover. Despite creating several quality scoring chances, turnovers and poor breakouts proved to be their downfall as they suffered their second regulation loss in six games.
In the shootout, Blues goalie Jordan Binnington shut down all three Sharks' attempts, redeeming himself after Wennberg's last-second goal in regulation. This win marked Binnington's 151st career victory, tying Mike Liut's franchise record. Wennberg's two goals were assisted by Mikael Granlund and Macklin Celebrini, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL draft.
This victory was only the second win for the Blues in their last nine games. With the game tied at two goals apiece, Kyrou managed to score the game-winning goal with just over eight minutes left in the second period, securing the win for the Blues. Binnington had a total of 22 saves in the game.
Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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