San Jose Sharks
Sharks Locker Room: “Please God, don’t let San Jose learn to defend”
It’s been a long time since the San Jose Sharks played this well against the Los Angeles Kings.
They outshot the Kings 40-14. The last time that San Jose outshot Los Angeles was 11 games ago, in Nov. 2022, 31-29 in a 5-2 loss.
This speaks to the different directions that both franchises have taken: The Sharks have missed the playoffs for six seasons and counting, while the Kings have made the playoffs for four-straight years.
Tonight was not a changing of the guard just yet — San Jose still lost 4-3, dropping to 2-6-2, while Los Angeles improved to 5-3-3 — but it’s no exaggeration to say that the Sharks dominated the usually superior opponent.
“Our most complete game of the year,” head coach Ryan Warsofsky said.
Credit to Warsofsky and his charges, this is the sixth-straight game that the Sharks have played well enough (or kept it close enough) to win.
This is a far cry from the group that got blown out in back-to-back contests versus the Carolina Hurricanes and Utah Mammoth.
The Sharks aren’t good yet, but spearheaded by Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, and William Eklund taking leaps, they’ve been even more competitive and fun, and looked poised, despite their record, to at least be better than they were last year.
“You know what everybody in this league is saying?” Elliotte Friedman said on the 32 Thoughts Podcast on Monday. “Please God, don’t let San Jose learn how to defend.”
Great snippet from yesterday’s episode of 32 Thoughts:
“You know what everybody in this league is saying? ‘Please, God, don’t let San Jose learn how to defend.” – @FriedgeHNIC #SJSharks #TheFutureIsTeal pic.twitter.com/KARGQEWzVb
— SnipeCity420 (@SnipeCity420) October 28, 2025
The Sharks offered a taste of that on Tuesday, overwhelming the Kings, admittedly at the end of a five-game road trip, with their fresh legs and mostly-sound defense.
This will lead to wins…one day, but not today.
Ryan Warsofsky
Warsofsky, on Yaroslav Askarov:
I know Asky, he’s a competitive guy. He doesn’t want any goals to go in. So again, it’s a young goaltender, early in his career that’s trying to improve in some areas, and we’re going to be there to help him and work with him. But he was there in Minnesota, played a really good game, so still believe in him.
Warsofsky, on Philipp’s Kurashev’s response to getting scratched:
That was a long time ago. Played good tonight. He played good against Minnesota. So it’s about compete and getting on pucks and winning pucks. And he’s done a better job of that.
Warsofsky, on Eklund: "He's playing the best hockey I've seen him play. He's on a mission. He's stacking his games together…We're seeing Eky really come in right now to who he's going to be. He's going to get better and better."
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) October 29, 2025
Yaroslav Askarov
Askarov, on the Brandt Clarke GWG, if it got deflected in:
Shot to the glove side.
I’m not sure. I [haven’t] seen the replay.
Askarov, on what he can improve for his next start: “Play better.”
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) October 29, 2025
Philipp Kurashev
Kurashev, on message from coaching staff when he was scratch, and if tonight was a good example of his compete:
I have to be harder in battles.
I think we all played really well, and we battled hard. It’s a frustrating [loss], for sure. It’s a lot of good things to take away.
Kurashev, on second power play unit establishing more zone time today:
We definitely supported each other better today. We were closer. So we could win the battles and support [each other] that way. That’s also how the goal happens. So you got to do more of those things.
Alex Wennberg
Wennberg, on Celebrini: "He's one of the best in league…He makes a difference every time he steps on the ice. He is our franchise player, the best player. It's just so impressive to watch him. He's taken another step. Just a joy to be out there with him."
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) October 29, 2025
That was a great comeback effort from the Sharks and shows the improvements the team has made. They really turned the table on the Kings, outshooting them and dominating a lot of the game. However, the deciding factor was their goalie who stopped so many shots from the Sharks gunslingers giving his club a chance to tuck this one away. Heartbreaking.
One thing that would have helped was the lack of Sharks in front of the Kemper rubber wall, as there were lots of rebounds to be had but no Shark to hammer it home! Overall good game but frustrating with the results.
The Askarov debate will rage on for a while, but I think we can all agree on one thing: the 2025-26 Kings suck balls and aren’t going anywhere.
I love it when we all agree on things.
🤣 🤣 🤣
You say there is a debate, but not a single comment here suggested Askarov was anything but the future in goal. Who even questioned Askarov just a month ago? Or two games ago after New Jersey?
I may have been the most negative by saying he hasn’t earned #1 status.
This is classic fan overreaction. At least let him get 40-50 NHL games then see.
I did, for one. He’s struggling with the speed and accuracy of NHL shooters and has been since his first start of the season against Anaheim. It doesn’t mean he sucks, it might mean he needs more time in the AHL.
there is no “speed and accuracy of NHL” in AHL, he won’t learn anything
Confidence is a big deal for a goaltender. Askarov is really talented. Sometimes talented players need to be reminded of what they look like at their best. The Sharks are short a third goaltender in the org, they could bring in a stop-gap backup for Ned and give Askarov a handful of games with the Cuda to get his swagger back, then bring him up and try to sneak the third G through waivers.
confidence comes with experience and understanding mistakes, he has mistakes, and not ready to be back to back, but in order to improve at this level, he has to play at this level
I disagree. We’ve seen multiple established goalies go play in the AHL in the last few years to get their game back.
I agree
Great idea but I’m loathe to take him away from Speer. I think they just need to let Ned start a few games while they work on Asky, then spot start him. Can’t let the season go to waste on the back of bad rookie goaltending. Also don’t want to wreck his development if he’s not ready. Maybe have Speer work with him then send him down for a few games to work on what he’s been given?
Thank you for being objective about Askarov: he’s definitely NOT ready, especially to start game after game just because he’s made couple of saves against the Wild.
Absolutely, agree 100% with you. Sending him down to ‘Cuda won’t hurt him, and as you stated, it may help him get his confidence back. Imo, he’s too fragile mentally right now and freezes when facing player on a break-out. That’s all mental.
I’m not convinced he’s fragile mentally, I think he literally has a technique thing that he needs to correct and he’ll be fine.
This. I think he needs consistent time to work on things and let Ned handle the load. Put him in a game every now and then and let him earn back a 50-50 split. It’s important he gets reps, obviously, but it’s also important the team in front of him doesn’t lose a game because he can’t make key saves. This team played their guts out last year and lost a number of games because Georgiev couldn’t save a beach ball. Askarov is playing the same away. One really solid performance. One good performance. The rest questionable. There’s a team… Read more »
What? Did you watch the NJ game? I get being a fan and overreacting, just like I did super early in the season, but he was literally the only reason NJ dint put 5-6 goals.
He had a bad game and if you look across the league, it happens to the best of goalies. It just wasn’t his night.
He’s had more of those than good though. Right now the NJ game appears to be the outlier.
I’m not reacting to one game, I’m reacting to an established trend this season so far, which is that Askarov is really struggling in one-on-one situations with NHL shooters. He is extremely talented, we’ve seen him make many acrobatic saves and take away sure goals with his athleticism. If you’re making those stops, and then getting beat clean from bad angles over your right shoulder every time you’re facing down an NHL shooter, there are fundamental positioning issues that need to be addressed. Much easier fix than being a lousy athlete, but not necessarily something a young goaltender can simply… Read more »
But a goalies play is generally indicative for how the team in front of him is playing. I think looking at the Sharks as a whole prior to the Penguins game the team D was just generally bad. The goalies didn’t really have a chance as you’re talking NHL players getting prime chances in the slot, the defense missing cues, forwards not activating/covering their partners, et al. Once that got cleaned up, not including last night, the goalies played a lot better. Of course they’re still a WIP, mainly Askarov given his age, but to send down to the A… Read more »
But he’s being beaten cleanly and consistently by specific shots from specific areas. I don’t know how anyone could argue against that point, it’s on tape.
I do agree 101% with your assessment about Askarov. Some time with the Cuda wouldn’t hurt him for sure. Glad that I’m not the only one who sees the same faults as you correctly mentioned them.
Agreed. Short side high from that angle should rarely go in at the NHL level. That’s a shooter tutor shot.
How can one establish, if a young goalie is extremely talented? I’ve heard this many times before, talked to people who know about hockey much, much more than me, actual coaches, and nobody could describe it in an easy to understand terms. What’s your take?
Athleticism, reflexes, hockey sense. All elite traits for Askarov at every level he’s played prior. I have no doubt we’ll see them at the NHL level eventually.
Thanks, it makes sense. I always thought that great reflexes would be the single most important factor, and stamina of course with good puck following as well. That’s more/less what I was told but still think there must something else to it since we have some outstanding goalies like Bobrovsky, Shesterkin, Patrick Roy, Martin Brodeur, etc.
I’m far from understanding goalies since they all are so different.
An actual coach should have had a pretty easy to understand answer.
I’ve never played goalie but I wonder if the fact that he wants to feel secure deep in his net instead of coming out on the shooters to take away that top shelf is because subconsciously he doesn’t trust the guys around him to tie up sticks and people around the net and give him the confidence to come out and take away angles?
This may actually be an overcorrection from last season. Last year his issue early with the Cuda seemed to be he would overcommit and slide way out and to the side of his net leading to easy cross ice passes to score. I swear he would stop a shot from the side and end up near the face off circle.
Good point, and not because I happened to think and see the same.
I didn’t see Askarov last year, out of the country, but from what I observed this season, most if not all shots above his waistline go in like he was afraid to use his glove or a blocker. He’s tall but he allows those goals even from hard, impossible angles. Playing too deep in the goal is part of it, positioning is another, and both need to be addressed by the coach.
Disagree. There are future NHL scorers in the AHL. They don’t suddenly learn how to shoot after they’ve been promoted.
There’s also Ozzie Weisblatt’s brother. You’re never gonna get better playing against him
It’s more about confidence and working on this specific thing without impacting wins and losses at the NHL level. I’m fine either way but I think he needs to backup for a few games minimum and get extra work with Speer.
Watching the other goalie win a few has a tendency to motivate also.
I do t think he needs motivation, I think he needs coaching his mechanics.
Should say “don’t think he needs motivation…”
If there’s no “speed and accuracy in AHL”, where did all these super player come from? Did they learn by playing pond hockey?, No, it’s a natural progression for most, not all, and that’s the way do develop a player since not all of them are called McDavid, Celebrini, Makar, etc.
Maybe if it’s a conditioning stint. Otherwise, wouldn’t it make more sense to let him tandem or backup Nadeljkavoic? He had a .923 save percentage in the AHL last year. Seems like maybe he needs to adjust to the NHL, not just stay where he is already comfortable. Unless, again, it’s a conditioning stint to work out something specific.
I think it’s going to be something specific. Really they should have shooting clinic where Smith and Celly just fire at him. Maybe Skinner too?
Smith for sure. Righties shooting blocker side seem to be his biggest issue. They should have Pohlkamp spend his Christmas break in San Jose just firing lasers at Askarov.
I don’t know about Asky beyond this season but it looks to me like he can’t apply all the teachings by coach and find the happy middle. He either does this all the time or that in other situations, indicating being too nervous and not able to concentrate? He surely has the tools to be good, like height and speed but that by itself won’t make him great. Another thing is that he comes from Russia, so many things, not only hockey related, must be corrected and not all players are able to quickly adjust and overcome the drastic differences.
This is just a whack take buddy. You just fabricated all that out of whole cloth.
No, I did not, lol. I’m basically quoting others I’ve talked to since goalie position is hard for me to understand, and I admitted that more than once. Just trying to understand what/ any single factor, are responsible for some being great and others never make it at NHL level. That’s what I’m trying to find out.
Those didn’t come off as quotes. It was a bunch of assumptions asserted as accusations.
Ha, ha..do you remember Andrei Zuzin, Sharks defenseman? I was introduced to him at the Russian Deli “Kalinka” on Almaden Expwy long time ago. Helped him with many things since all was new to him. He had a hard time switching to individual thinking which was a no-no in his country, among many other things. Cultural differences are so important and it takes time to learn it all about new country, and he didn’t have much free time time to learn it between playing hockey, travel, etc. Just ask him or ‘Kalinka’ Deli owners.
I don’t know. Askarov’s already dominated in the AHL, for multiple seasons. I think splitting time a little more evenly is probably wise at this point in his development (was last night his 3rd straight game?). TBH I was surprised that Ned didn’t get the start.
I think the 3 in a row thing was simply a test to see how he would react. Like with the skaters, gotta find their limits.
Goalies doing 3 games in a row is pretty common. I don’t think Askarov reached some sort of limit. I think Warso was hoping he’d find a groove and take the 1A job.
I don’t think he’s never started 3 in a row at the NHL level. It was a test. The test was for the reason you stated but clearly he’s not ready. Considering how many games he’s given up soft goals I’m not sure it the best thing at this time. I defer to the coach though on this stuff. I’m sure Speer and Nabby had a vote too.
Should say, “I don’t think he’s ever started 3 games in a row in the NHL”. not “never started”
Joseph mentioned it after the first start I think? I thought there were a couple others. I’m still not going to get too worked up yet. He clearly needs more coaching.
I’m willing to be patient
Oh for sure. That’s what the smart money would do. I definitely would give him a couple games off though.
Lots of Asky haters on here. It’s not premature to say Askarov will be the franchise goalie one day. That’s what we traded for. It’s not even fans declaring it, it’s Grier. Actions speak louder than words, and Grier traded some serious pieces to get a long term starter.
Its absolutely is premature to say he’ll be the franchise goalie one day. That may be the plan, but the plan can go wrong. With goalies, the plan often goes wrong — because they’re goalies. I’m hoping the Sharks have a franchise goalie in their system, whoever it might be. And fwiw, my definition of a franchise goalie is probably different than most. I want a good goalie in the regular season. But he doesn’t need to be great, let alone a Vezina finalist. Top 10-ish is fine. And they shouldn’t be a workhorse sort, either. Start 55 games or… Read more »
I disagree, and maintain that there’s a very strong expectation both league wide and within the Sharks org that Askarov will be a franchise goalie one day. The pro hockey experts are probably the best at trying to predict career outcomes, and the experts in the Sharks org estimated that Askarov will be a franchise goalie. In my opinion, these early season struggles don’t erase all the reasons the hockey world is so high on him, and we still have ever reason to believe as well-seasoned Sharks fans. I also acknowledge that goaltending often goes wrong, but it also often… Read more »
I’m old enough to remember Jim Carrey the goalie who won a Vezina then fell off the face of the earth.
Hell yeah! Congrats on the long life
That wasn’t the point. Carrey is kind of a cautionary tale about just how unpredictable a goalie’s career can been.
Wrong Jim. Jim Carey was a goaler. Jim Carrey was Ace Ventura. ;>)
thats why I specified the goalie. If you’re correcting spelling here you’re wasting your time trying to score cheap points. Another point being, “Carrey’s” NHL career was so whack, I don’t give a fuck how his name was spelled. 😉
Agreed. Blackwood would be great, so was Hill, Reimer was great but too old. Goalies are the hardest position to predict their progress and future.
Is Nabokov still with the Sharks organization?
C’mon. Do you follow the team? Nabokov’s the Director of Goaltending for the San Jose Sharks. Fan up and pay attention!
I think it truly would have been ideal to re-sign Blackwood for 4 years to tandem with Asky. They got along great and Blacky is a phenomenal goalie.
The risk with keeping Blackwood was that Askarov would face the same obstacle as he faced in Nashville, a 1A goalie which would block him from getting a 1A role in the NHL. And if he doesn’t see a path to a 1A role, he leaves when he has the chance.
Still, good chance that becomes a solid tandem, given Blackwood’s really good and Askarov would have more time to grow into his role.
My comment was based on Asky’s open love of Blackwood. If there was any vet to pair him with like that it was Blackwood.
Just because Grier paid a lot for Askarov does not mean that he’s worth every penny. Even the best managers make mistakes because nobody’s a future teller. That being said, wasn’t there a reason that Nashville (?) was willing to let him go? Did they see something nobody else did? I don’t know, nobody does except Nashville.
Are you genuinely unaware of why Nashville let Asky go? He demanded a trade. They didn’t dump in for a bucket of pucks either.
Nashville bet their future on Jusse Saros and paid him (8yrs, nearly $8mil per). That left Askarov, a high 1st round pick of theirs who’d performed well at lower levels, without a path to a starting spot. At best, a 1B if Saros performed as expected (his deal tells you the expectations). So Nashville figured they could net a return that exceeded Askarov’s value as a 1B netminder. That some other team would see him in a 1A role and would pay for that. The Sharks wound up being that team. Others might have also been in the running for… Read more »
No there’s not! Cmon man no one here is an “Asky hater”. There’s the usual amount of panic prone and then most are debating how to handle him going forward.
I guess we have different impressions of the sentiment being shared here. I’m remarking on the comments section overall from the last 12 hours, not particularly on this comment thread
Oh I haven’t checked the previous comment sections on it.
I think it’s fair to now call this thread a debate.
“You know what everybody in this league is saying? … Please God, don’t let San Jose learn how to defend.”
They should make posters of that and plaster it all around the locker room/gym. Its motivating to know how close you are to flipping the narrative.
They defended last night. You know Wario went into the locker room with that quote before last nights game.
Yeah sometimes its good when the message is reinforced from an outside perspective.
Didn’t know that. I’m sure that was very uplifting for the team, then the deflating performance by Asky came.
It’s a figure of speech. I don’t actually know Wario did that, but it’s a common motivational tool.
It’s a great quote. It’s a dig, but as you pointed out it’s also weirdly inspirational. I’d buy the shirt.
Hope BHB is paying attention….
You could certainly tell that Asky was not interested in all at being interviewed and wanted to get the heck out of there. Of course having a sub-par game can make one cranky.
I don’t blame him in the slightest for not wanting to be interviewed. Letting down your teammates is the worst feeling.
I genuinely think he struggles with some of the language more than we really understand. I’ve seen interviews after good performances where some of his answers are also just a couple words. When you watch and listen carefully, I personally think it is pretty clear there is stuff he doesn’t really answer because he only understands parts of the question. I have all the respect in the world for him taking on the interviews by himself and how well he generally does with English and has learned the language, but sometimes I wish the Sharks would have an interpreter nearby… Read more »
I don’t think there was a whole lot for him to say anyway. He knew it wasn’t a good game. He basically said so. That’s about it.
I’ve read many comments from people on various social media sites stating how bad the Shark’s D was last night. While it’s true that the actual D players are not the most skilled defensive players, and SJ has certainly had some questionable team defense, I think last night’s game might not fit that narrative. They held LA to only 14 shots. I don’t think a team accomplishes that metric playing poor team defense. Last night’s loss was on lapses by individual players, leading to 3 goals against: Graf leaving Perry alone in front of the net, Malott and Clarke goals… Read more »
That was the best defensive game the team has played. Klinger makes a huge difference. I would be really curious to know what xGAA was. Bet it around 1.
Klingberg is certainly falls into the “if they can stay healthy” category. He needs to play more to get into any kind of real groove not only individually, but with the team. Being out for just over half of the games played so far hasn’t helped with that.
Agreed. But the things he can do that no one else can were on full display last night.
Klingberg, Orlov and Liljegren (all strong puck movers) each played over 20 minutes last night. Ferraro under 18. Desharnais under 12. Sharks pump 40 shots on goal and only allow 14.
Probably just a coincidence.
🤣 🤣 🤣
Not sure how Graf is getting the blame for that first goal. Dickinson was standing right next to Perry in front of the net and chased the puck leaving Perry all by himself.
I agree with you that Dickinson shouldn’t have moved up, and likely Warsofsky saw it that way as well since he got benched for the remainder of the period after that sequence. I think I might understand why he did that: loose puck on his side and he might have believed he could get to it before the other player. Didn’t work out that way, and he didn’t really try to block the initial shot attempt. After watching the replay a few times, I think though that Graf needed to retreat to the net to cover Perry. He watched Dickinson… Read more »
He didn’t get blamed. It’s clearly on Dicky or he wouldn’t have been benched.
Last nights game was the ultimate expression of JD’s “defense is for nerds go play offence”
Except they did play defense.🤔
Funny because when you’re in the offensive zone that much, you don’t have to play as much defense
Still have to kill plays and break the puck out which they did with great efficiency.
Matt Davis in the ECHL
Wichita Thunder 3gp 2.24gaa 1-0-2 record 0.934sv%
He’s given up just 7 goals on over 100 shots in his 3 games. 3 of the 7 came with Wichita on the PK and 1 of the seven came in OT.
So 3 goals against at even strength in 3 games.
You never know where you might find a goalie …
Let’s see what he can do with the Cuda
Not likely to find it in the ECHL. I’ve played with and against guys from that league. A decent goalie prospect should post good to great numbers there. Davis is just organizational depth ATM.
As I underreact to last night’s game, there is one thing I mentioned before that I see every game.
The Sharks players tend to defer at times to Macklin when there are other plays to be made.
This team needs to play as a team and as wonderful as Macklin is, still gotta make the right play or take the opportunity to be aggressive.
In that regard, I’d like to see Macklin’s minutes drop to 18-19 per night. The rest of the team, especially the middle six, need to develop and become a bigger part of this team.
Coaches coach to win. Cellys going to play a lot. He’s young and he might be one of the top players in the league already. The line that suffers is probably the 4th anyway so not all that big a deal.
Not sure I agree with this. He played under 20 minutes last night, which has happened three times so far this season. In those games, he has a goal and two assists (PPG average). In the seven games he’s skated 20+ minutes, he has five goals and 13 points (nearly 2 PPG average).
The issue isn’t Macklin. The issue is finding other higher-end players who’ll take charge and not rely on Macklin as much.
That’s silly. He’s a franchise level player. The Oilers aren’t going to sit McDavid so that his teammates learn to rely on Nugent-Hopkins more often.
We’re in a very different place than the Oilers. I thought you’d have noticed that.
Now, now…😉
That’s not really relevant, but I’ll play along — stunting the minutes of your best player while he’s developing so that support players get used to using other options just doesn’t make sense. The supporting cast will change, a lot, over the next several seasons. Macklin, hopefully, is a long-term fixture. You prioritize the franchise player. You don’t cut his ice time so other players learn a lesson, especially when the numbers say he’s roughly twice as productive when he plays more. That would be a very tough coaching move to justify.
This isn’t about “learning a lesson” — this is about players developing the most while the team is in a season where the emphasis ought to be on player development.
If the Sharks are in the playoffs, play Macklin 21 minutes a night. But they aren’t. A little less Macklin gives a bit of added room for Smith, Misa, Graf, Kurashev and so forth. The more they grow, the better the team gets.
What players aren’t getting developed in the middle six because Celebrini is eating more minutes? Jeff Skinner? 25 year old Kurashev? Alex Wennberg? I mean I get what you’re saying, Eklund has been trucking along nicely. Graf has also developed well so far. He also PKs. Misa will probably get more minutes later in the season. I think they are easing him into things. The goal of these games is still to win. We may not see it that way, but guarantee Warso and the Sharks are. He’s not going into these games saying what’s the best arrangement I can… Read more »
Agreed. As others earn ice time they can rest Celly more. Misa is probably the best candidate next season. I would bet money there’s no sophomore slump for him.
To be clear, my comment isn’t really about resting Macklin, though I do think he probably should get a bit less ice time for that reason as well. Especially in a season with condensed schedule and his becoming ever more likely to be an Olympian. But if we’re not going to the playoffs, he’ll get a long summer off.
Its really about giving other players the chance to grow, to become leaders and developing without looking to Macklin as much.
That probably counts overtime though too right?
One way to do that is to see if Smith can be the centerpiece (if not actually the center) of his own line. One big advantage the Oilers have is they have two first lines with Draisaitl and McDavid split up (with the option of putting them together if they are down in the third period.) I’d be curious to see if there is future where the Sharks can do something like that with Celebrini/Eklund and Misa/Smith. If all those guys fulfill their potential, that’ll be a headache for the other team’s head coach. Line-matching will be very hard for… Read more »
I thought this would be a good year to see Smith play 2C. It wouldn’t easy for him and might even have been ugly at times, but if Sharks management is honest with itself, this is a development season. The roster screams “development” with vets paired with young players. Smith can always go back and forth between C and wing during his career, but only if he learns to play C. We’ve seen that with players like Hertl and Pavelski, who both wound up on Jumbo’s wing, but had extensive experience running their own lines. I think this should be… Read more »
Hopefully it’s the last development season but unfortunately I think we still have plenty of question marks past Celebrini at 1C. Like we are talking about…what exactly will Smith’s role be? Can he drive his own line? How ready is Misa? Can Dickinson be #1D or is he more of a good #2 or 3? Is Askarov a real starting goalie?
The optimist in me likes to say this is the last development season, but I am not sure all those questions will be answered this year.
Eh, I don’t agree that they have two first lines. Maybe in the most recent year, or two, but for the longest time the biggest issue Edmonton had was they struggled to score when McDavid and Draisaitl weren’t together. That’s why they put them together alllll the time. That’s prob gonna be worse this year. I don’t know if this is two first lines: Nugent-Hopkins – McDavid – Mangiapane Podkolzin – Draisaitl – Roslovic Out of those wingers only Nugent-hopkins is a consistent goal scorer. Roslovic has two 20+ goal seasons. The other two have never cracked 20 goals. It’s… Read more »
3 goals on 8 shots = Swiss Cheese
Missed first period but saw the game recap 3 times analyzing each and every mistake by the Sharks. There were not too many, but still…..some things don’t change. One of things that don’t change is Askarov. I don’t understand Warsofsky, why he played him again, instead of Ned. With Ned in goal the Sharks would have a “3” in a win column. It’s nothing personal against Askarov but does he have any hands??? It seems like every shot above his waist goes in. Is it him or his coach, or both? I firmly believe Asky should spend more time with… Read more »
Wowza. “Asky will never play in the NHL, mark my words.” – jerzy . Asky’s already playing in the NHL, so how do you wrap your brain around that? Must be Simone Biles levels of mental gymnastics going over there in your cranium
🤣 🤣 🤣
I can only hope that Askerov has the mental fortitude of Simone Biles.
🤣🤣🤣 Good lord dude. Have a drink, smoke a joint, eat a gummy, chill out chicken little. The kid’s played 22 games. That is not a lot especially for a goalie.
Nedeljkovic has a .875 save%. His goals saved above expected is -3.9 (versus Askarov’s -4.2 after last night.) He is the 9th worst in the league versus Askarov’s 7th worst. This narrative that he would have been turned the L into a W is just pure speculation. Everybody wants to dogpile on Askarov as though this Sharks team has never wasted a heroic performance by a goalie. Askarov has a grand total 22 career NHL games. He is 23 years old. Average age of NHL goalie is 29.8 years old. He has played 6 games into the season? Were people… Read more »
I wonder if Asky back in the AHL or letting him get used to the speed of the NHL? He could definitely use more support by the D corp clearing out the zones so he is not screened by bodies so often. Desharnais is not NHL caliber. Need a serious banger on D.
I’ve heard former goalies say it does help to watch the game from the bench sometimes, especially in the era when goalie positioning is so important. I think it’ll also be motivating for Askarov if Nedeljkovic wins a few. They are all competitive guys and he’ll work harder to fix whatever’s going on if they let him stay here and fight for the job.
So much on what’s best for Askarov. I know this much. I don’t know that answer. Maybe he’s a player whose at his best playing 8 games in a row. Takes a while to find a groove and when he does, he’s great. Maybe the coaches are too easy with him. Old story, Bill Walsh called Jerry Rice’s college coach and asked him for advice, as Rice was struggling in his rookie year. The college coach told Walsh to work him much harder. Turns out, that was the answer. Maybe its all mental and he’s just not processing well at… Read more »
I don’t think the coaches are easy on him. But in hockey culture it’s bad form to crap on a goalie having a bad stretch in front of the media. Certainly, a coach crapping on a goalie is a surefire way to turn the team culture toxic. (Witness Pete DeBoer versus Jake Oettinger in Western Conf Finals.)
Plus, losses that really feel like they hang on a single individual are so rare in team sports. When they do happen, the player responsible knows better than anyone and feels worse.
I think we all sorta have foggy memories. Blackwood was not consistently good until later in his first season. He was fantastic one game and stinkers the next (first 8 games he had 3 where he gave up 4 on 14, 5 on 21 and 6 on 18: also had 6 on 42 and 5 on 34: rounding out the 8 2 on 35, 2 on 41, 1 on 52). The path is not linear, but he settled in around game 10 and found his grove establishing his game by 20ish where stinkers almost disappeared. He also had 150 games… Read more »
Aren’t they at 49 contracts? I don’t think they actually need to make a move until Misa also plays #9. Dicky probably sits tonight with Shak coming back.