The post-Christmas results were not what Andrew Brunette was hoping for, but Predators fans got the gift of Yaroslav Askarov this week.
The Nashville Predators took the ice after the Christmas break with the hopes of shaking off a tough loss to the Dallas Stars before the holiday. On Wednesday night, they faced Sebastian Aho and the Carolina Hurricanes. Before puck drop Wednesday, the Predators recalled goaltender Yaroslav Askarov from Milwaukee as back up goaltender Kevin Lankinen was out with illness.
Nashville wasn't able to get the win at home against the Hurricanes, but Predators fans did get to see Askarov in the third period of the loss.
Nashville's performance against Carolina didn't feel like progress to head coach Andrew Brunette who said the game reminded him of how the Predators were playing early in the season.
Dec 27, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators center Cody Glass (8) hits Carolina Hurricanes right wing Jesper Fast (71) while battling for a puck during the second period at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY SportsYaroslav Askarov came in for Juuse Saros at the start of the third period of the Carolina loss and in the postgame, he talked about the progress he's made over the last season.
The Predators took time to focus on puck battles in Thursday's practice while Andrew Brunette gave an update on the goaltending situation as the team prepared for a road back to back.
Nashville traveled to Detroit for the first game of the back to back. Both teams were hoping to get back on track after recent struggles, but it was the Red Wings who got the overtime win and two points.
The Detroit game earned the Predators one point, but there was still room for improvement.
The Preds didn't have much time to breakdown the overtime loss before taking the ice again on Saturday in Washington as they faced the Capitals. Kevin Lankinen was not able to play, so Yaroslav Askarov got his second career NHL start.
Despite an early two goal lead, the game needed overtime and a shootout to decide the winner. Yaroslav Askarov made two saves in the shootout and earned his first NHL win as the Predators defeated the Caps 3-2.
Dec 30, 2023; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Nashville Predators goaltender Yaroslav Askarov (30) makes a save on a shot by Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) during the shootout at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY SportAskarov made shootout saves against fellow Russians Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alex Ovechkin to secure the Predators' win.
In this week's archive article, we took a look back at The Hockey News' predictions for the selections David Poile might make in the 1998 Predators expansion draft.
In the upcoming week, the Predators will welcome the Chicago Blackhawks and Calgary Flames to Bridgestone Arena before traveling to Dallas to take on the Stars Saturday night.