The San Jose Sharks have found their future No. 1 goalie in Yaroslav Askarov, but is he already the No. 1 guy?
The San Jose Sharks have found their future No. 1 goalie in Yaroslav Askarov, but is he already the No. 1 guy?
The San Jose Sharks have found their future No. 1 goalie in Yaroslav Askarov, but is he already the No. 1 guy?
Askarov has started five of the last seven games for the Sharks and has stopped 141 out of 153 shots for a 2-2-1 record. Those numbers break down to a .922 save percentage and a 2.44 GAA.
He made a massive save on New Jersey Devils forward Ondrej Palat late in the third period to keep the game tied at two before the Sharks would go on to win with a late goal by Cody Ceci.
"He was outstanding again tonight," Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said about Askarov postgame. "He makes a big save there in the third with three minutes left, or whatever it is. That's what happens. It's usually one player. That's what it came down to, the third period. A play there. A play here. That's the difference of winning and losing."
Warsofsky already discusses how Askarov's game-saving stops are changing the Sharks' outcome, similar to how he spoke about Mackenzie Blackwood before he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche.
Alexandar Georgiev has struggled since the San Jose Sharks acquired him but has shown signs of good play. The netminder is 1-4 with a .869 save %, and although the team in front of him hasn't played the best at times, he hasn't made the key save to bail out a struggling defensive team that Askarov has repeatedly made.
While the Sharks aren't making the playoffs unless a miracle happens, playing Askarov doesn't seem to hurt the chances of staying in the race for a top-five draft pick. He'll win more games for the club, but his ability to keep the Sharks games will only help the skaters in front of him learn to win more often. After all, Askarov only has three wins in seven games this season.
Although the sample size is small, Askarov's numbers are spectacular when viewed in NHL EDGE. His .850 save percentage on high-danger shots puts him in the 97th percentile.
Vitek Vanecek will be out for a bit longer. The netminder has begun skating alone and was seen only wearing a player helmet rather than a traditional goalie mask. Vanecek is dealing with a broken cheekbone, and Warsofsky has put a week-to-week timeline on his potential return.
When Vanecek is ready to return, the Sharks must decide whether to run with Askarov-Vanecek, Askarov-Georgiev, or Vanecek-Georgiev.
Askarov is 22 years old and exempt from waivers, meaning he would be easy to send back down to the AHL. Askarov will likely be sent down sometime before the trade deadline on March 7th to make him eligible for the AHL Playoffs.
The former Nashville Predators' top draft pick is making Warsofsky and the front office's decision difficult. However, this is a good problem because the Sharks look like they have found their goalie for the foreseeable future.
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