San Jose Sharks
Sharks Dominate Kings, But Lose 4-3
The San Jose Sharks take on the Los Angeles Kings at home.
Will Smith and Philipp Kurashev and Alex Wennberg scored, but the Sharks lost 4-3.
Period 1
4 in: Liljegren, really nifty backhand exit pass, to Toffoli.
5 in: Misa takes it through double or triple coverage on entry, no bueno. Can’t do that.
7 in: Armia right on top of Misa, trying to exit. Tough start for the kid. But Sharks get it out, no damage done.
8 in: One pass too many by Wennberg, I think, don’t blame Liljegren for that penalty. Wennberg also telegraphed it.
Clever self-pass by Eklund on PK, but can’t get a shot off.
Perry goal: Feel like Laferriere got away with holding Orlov’s stick, trying to clear. Re-watch, no, he just made a good play to keep puck alive after Orlov blocked him. I think Graf needs to be more alert, cognizant of Perry alone behind him. Basically a power play goal, though it had expired.
6 left: Misa has it for a second behind net on PP, but it’s expiring, and two Kings pounce on him. In general, PP2 continues to struggle setting up.
3 left: Klingberg really good on the power play. Love how calm he is with the puck, his ability to suck in as much pressure as possible before moving puck.
2 left: They just don’t respect Misa, the Kings PK. He’ll have to earn it. Wennberg does pop out the corner, set up Skinner for a Grade-A. You have to make the PK hurt you for overcommitting defensively.
Period 2
1 in: Smith does great job of pickpocketing Anderson, but in words of Prince via Dave Chappelle, Shoot the J, shoot it. Instead tries the behind the back pass to Celebrini, intercepted.
Malott goal: Kings get out on rush, 2-on-1 for a second, but Sharks recover. Think Askarov needs to have that, no traffic.
5 in: Kurashev slams his stick on the ice, so close. Credit to Wennberg and Kurashev, good work down low to create chances. Sharks playing well, up 16-7 shots.
5 in: What a Celebrini shift, just mugs Byfield and Fiala for puck, pulls puck away from Clarke, slides it to Smith all alone in front.
Doughty goal: Perry traffic there, so not going to jump on Askarov there. But three goals on eight shots tough to stomach, especially including the Malott.
9 left: Kings making Wennberg line look like Legion of Doom. Sharks shouldn’t be down in this game.
8 left: Celebrini playing with so much confidence right now. I think he’s making the Olympic team. I like Klingberg walking down there, good chance.
Smith goal: Celebrini looks off Toffoli in high slot, hard cross-slot pass to wide-open Smith. Last time that I saw a Sharks player play with this much confidence was either Erik Karlsson circa 2022-23 or when healthy in 2018-19.
Kurashev goal: Beautiful pass by Wennberg. Kings, in an excellent imitation of the San Jose Sharks, completely forget Kurashev walking down slot by himself.
Period 3
2 in: Nice one-on-one OZ foray by Dickinson, who I haven’t noticed much tonight (that’s a good thing).
Wennberg goal: Really nice work by Skinner, showing patience with the puck, hits Kurashev cross-slot, then after save, Kurashev low, who finds Wennberg for an open net.
6 in: Askarov big save on deflection. Time for him to buckle down.
San Jose Sharks’ 32-11 shots right now, last time San Jose outshot Kings was Nov. 2022.
9 left: Another big Askarov save. Broken play, Kempe gets a walk-in chance, big pad.
Clarke goal: Askarov looks up to the sky. Think he’s gotta have that one too.
4 left: Timeout, OZ faceoff, Sharks start Celebrini line…and Klingberg and Dickinson. Interesting, maybe trying to give the rook a cushy OZ start, see how he handles it.
Sharks 41-14 shots.
Not sure why Ned didn’t play that game, but clearly the wrong call.
They’re trying to make fetch happen.
Yeah I was wondering the same thing. Askarov was super soft in net tonight and really should have been pulled after #3, while at the other end Kuemper had his best game of the season. Sharks definitely deserved the W. Tough loss but really nice to see the team finally starting to gel in these last few games. Unfortunately if neither net minder can step up his game they’ll still be looking at needing 4+ goals to notch up wins. A .714 save percentage ain’t gonna cut it. Asky’s young. Let’s hope he can find some consistency soon, otherwise his… Read more »
You don’t know how Nedjelkovic would have played. You are just assuming because Askarov was bad.l, Nedjelkovic would have been better.
You want to get all torches and pitchforks about it the morning after, but even after the fact you cannot guarantee a goalie with .875 wouldn’t have had a bad night too.
Askarov earned back to back starts. He didn’t earn a third. He should have been pulled after the third goal. None of these things are Askarov’s fault. They were coaching decisions.
You can’t accuse me of getting “all torches and pitchforks” when you’ve misinterpreted the purpose of my statement. You’re adding commentary that I have not provided.
um, not making a save is Askarov’s fault. He def needs to put the work in, You can see it in his feet, he’s constantly moving them, he’s rarely set, and when in doubt, he butterflies, thus, constantly getting beat up high.
Send him down for a month, let him get the work in to rebuild his confidence and reestablish his game without the pressure.
Also, glad Celi didn’t die when he went hard into the end boards during the 1st period.
Alright, maybe I misunderstood and you are not all torches and pitchforks. In which case, it seems it’s just a bit of monday morning quarterbacking. You are talking about yanking a goalie you are trying to cultivate during a tied game in October., OCTOBER! Warsofsky made the right choice, and I think any other NHL head coach would have done the same. You have to give your goalies a fair chance to work it out this early in the season. Askarov didn’t make the most of the chance. That’s on him. But Warsofsky is here to develop players and he… Read more »
That’s true, but there are many players he’s responsible for developing. Part of the development curve for guys like Celebrini, Eklund, etc. is getting wins they’ve earned. It reinforces winning habits to be rewarded for good play. I’d have pulled Askarov at 3-0 because the Sharks were dominating and he was giving up softies. Once it was 3-3 (or even 3-2), I agree it would have been wrong to pull him.
On a positive note, the Sharks are playing well, on a negative note, goalies need to step up more.
League average goaltending and this team has a winning record.
Yea, it is dissapointing actually.
Pretty much. Get rid of the soft/fluky goals and you figure they win the first two games + tonight’s game. That’s 5 wins.
Still, this team is a work in progress and on most fronts, I like the progress.
Honestly they’re playing better than I expected earlier than I expected. They horse whipped the Kings everywhere but the scoreboard.
Totally. It sucks not to get the win, but I can’t believe they outshot anyone 41-14 in October. Very cool to see. The things that are going right for the Sharks are going very right. If the aspects they’ve struggled with can at least settle into average, we could be in for some surprising results.
good effort.
keep it up.
It was not a good Askarov game. Why wasn’t he pulled? It was clear on the 3rd goal, it is not his night.
Absolutely two brutal goals allowed by Askarov. That was the difference. You have breakdowns you need a stop, and he didn’t give them 1.
Great overall game by Sharks, but not great goaltending whatsoever.
Seems like the 3rd goal deflected in front? He looked off his angle on 2 & 3 either way.
3rd definitely was deflected but if his angle is on then he saves it. He was also in his butterfly way too early on the 3rd goal.
Very true.
4 goals on 14 shots?!
This one is on Askarov.
Is it time to start wondering if he really is the Shark’s future #1?
It’s not like he didn’t have support. 41 to 14 and we lose? WTF?
I am already wondering. I hope they can iron out his deficiencies. But he hasn’t earned the right to get consistent starts, especially after this debacle.
He was literally the only reason the Sharks didn’t lose 10-1 against NJ.
This game being the exception he hasn’t really let in a ton of soft goals. This just wasn’t his night
He’s been pretty bad. New Jersey was the exception. Every other game, at least one baby soft goal.
Goalies have to develop consistency just like skaters. He’s played 22 games. Glad you guys didn’t write Will Smith off at the 22 game mark. Give him time.
Also hard to get your timing on so few shots.
Agreed!
100%! Fans are so fickle. Like you said, he needs to develop consistency and I think it’s better to give him that time now while the Sharks are still in the early-ish stages of their rebuild. It’s not like we’re fighting for the playoffs this season.
He’s got a ways to go. Credit the Kings goalie with a masterful game allowing his underacheiving team to put the game winner in. He stopped a whole lot a shots.
Kings goalie is a grizzled vet.
No, it’s not time to start wondering if he really is the Shark’s #1. Just like it wasn’t time to crown him the actual #1 just 6 games ago. People here have been totally ridiculous about Askarov both ways.
He has had 6 games this season.
Calm the fuck down, people.
Well said. Especially love the use of profanity. 👏😉
Home losing streak continues. Not sure Asksrov is that good. 4 goals on 14 shots is terrible. He gives up the softest goals late in game.
Phenomenal game by the Sharks. Askarov has completely lost my confidence. He feels as inconsistent and frightening to have back there as Georgiev. He’s had one good game, one average game and then otherwise been trash. That’s about on par with Georgiev’s performance.
No excuse for allowing 4 goals on 14 shots tonight.
It’s really early in his career. I know it’s tough but best to be patient. Most goalies don’t become starters until they’re a little older.
Good point. He seems to have a mechanical issue and hopefully Nabby or another coach can help him.
Again, agreed!
I’m not throwing in the towel on him I just don’t have the same faith I did before and he needs to do more to earn his spot. I don’t think its a foregone conclusion he’s the goalie of the future. Thats all I am saying.
I know Sheng actually knows puck, unlike me, but I just can’t do klinberg. That last minute with the 2 man. He killed like 20 seconds all on his own. Feels unimaginative and liable. I hope we get a 4th for him or something when it’s all said and done.
Asky needs to make one of those 2 saves.
He hasn’t played that much this season yet. Give a couple games before you pass final judgement on a dude who was one of the best offensive defensemen at one point.
He was a big difference maker tonight. The last pass with like 5 seconds left where he just flung it was stupid, and I yelled at the TV but he’s been pretty good all things considered.
Thinking about this more, I assume you watched this game? Klinger had so many brilliant little evasive moves that no one else in this entire organization can pull off. Last guy to move as well as he did with the puck tonight was EK65. If this is what he’s going to look like while healthy I’m all for signing him for 3 seasons. For his first game back he was brilliant offensively as far as I’m concerned. I’d sign Lily too at this point which is amazing to me. I hated him last season. Make no mistake, Klinger and Lily… Read more »
Like your take and completely agree. The one caveat would be that for his first game back I would have preferred they kept Orlov on PP1. Main reason is the PP was working very well. I agree on wanting to retain as many players that play well as they can. GMMG and Hasso has said they want to build/win. To do this the team needs roster continuity. To get that continuity you must start to keep the players. I know it is early, but Liljegren and Klingberg look like to players to keep. In Lily’s case he is relatively young… Read more »
If Klingberg were a surefire bet he would have signed elsewhere for a lot more money.
Give him a chance. Keep in mind he is here on a short-term, low money contract. If he gets better, it’s a bonus. If he doesn’t, the Sharks don’t miss out on much.
We all want some wins, but people are acting like this is the last chance at the Stanley Cup or something. It’s October in a rebuilding season.
Don’t think I’ve seen the Sharks thoroughly dominate a game like that in multiple years. Really sucks to lose that one.
It’s like the 2019 Martin Jones days
The wins we have been able to muster the past couple years looked like Kings win tonight
When was the last time the sharks had 40+ shots in a game?
Happy with a lot of what went down this evening. Sharks really dominated the skating . Agree that Askarov had a rough night, but jeez, goalies go through bad nights and even down seasons His journey has a long long way to go before we know what he is. I do know that I’ve seen him play better, so he has it in him. Misa had a Jekyll and Hyde night — got a lot of shots and liked th net front, but he also gave up a lot of pucks and was pushed around a good bit. Amazing save… Read more »
The Asky hopefuls are missing in action. I was hopeful in August, but starting in the preseason, I started seeing some big time mechanical flaws that are now showing up in the regular season. Asky continues to give up WAY too many rebounds and he drops into a stance too early like he is not tracking the puck that gives up way too many goals. It’s like someone kidnapped the Asky we all saw so much promise in last year. Im sorry to report to all the Asky Kool-Aid drinkers that have been saying he just needs more games. WRONG!… Read more »
Every team in the league knows he can’t stop anything on his stick side. Sharks have known it for while now, which why they drafted another goalie in the first round. They need to adjust the d to cover or it’s only gonna get worse
You have an ear to the ground at each team huh? lol! Ok, man…
It does look like they are aiming for his left ear.
Yeah he’s having a lot of issues with NHL shooters up around the ears. Especially blocker side. Getting beat clean blocker side by shooters on their strong side should be a rarity. It happens to him nightly.
He’s still waivers exempt. Might not be a bad call to stash him back in the A for a bit. The Cuda aren’t getting great goaltending, he’d help them, and he’s struggling at the NHL level.
I think Jumbo’s actual beard probably could have typed up a more knowledgeable comment.
The only fan reaction is overreaction. People crowning Askarov the starter for this season when he had only 16 NHL games were overreacting.
People declaring him a total bust after 6 extra games are even more overreacting.
Pretty sure GMMG knows they need a #1 D & better D in general lol. Go get better Ds, only if it’s so easy.
I always thought nhl GMs are like playing multi-dimensional chess, against others that are best in their craft too.
Every GM knows what every other team needs/wants and not likely just give you one for cheap. A responsible GM will judiciously build the team balancing needs, assets owned, cap, timeline, etc. Players getting hurt, prospects not penning out… so many variables. Building a successful team is hard.
Frustrating loss. Tough to win when your goalie is a sieve. Team deserved better.
Thomas Speer is a genius, you guys.
Debbie Downer Theme Song – YouTube
From my seat it looked like the refs missed 3 obvious penalties, too
Definitely a hold on Orlov that went uncalled right before the Perry goal, right?
I’ll take it. Absolutely loved the way they played and loved how they never gave up.
I agree that Askarov is still early in his career and playing poorly, but I think he still deserves a chance if he’s humble enough to be coachable. But…… Why didn’t Wars pull him sooner if at all? Reminded me of how Quinn would relentlessly leave our goalies in to get pummeled and say it builds character.
Most NHL coaches would do the same, especially in an early season game and it’s a goalie you’re trying to develop. You have to give the goalie a chance to figure it out.
can you imagine coming into a game cold as a back up and facing that few shots? He would have given up more then Asky
We’ll never know.
Wennberg with 2 points and a +2. Loved Kurashevs game. Celly & Snith are in the zone now and taking over shifts. As someone else said, they need a different winger. Eklund would be good but I’m not sold one weakening line 2 that way. Need Cherny to make the NHL so they can play with the top 6 line combos a little. Cherny, Misa, Graf as the 3rd line would be great potentially. Ack, yup I’m out over my skis… ;P
Kurashev the way he played tonight would be a nice fit on the top line next to Celebrini and Smith. I think moving Toffoli to the 2nd line might help that line as well.
There you go, that would definitely solve it.
There’s a reason sharks picked Ravensbergen in the first round. They knew that Askarov isn’t the goalie of the future. It’s a few more years of missing the playoffs until he is ready but he’s clearly better than Askarov.
Nah, I think that was purely a BPA pick. Ravensbergen is so young that Asky will be 28 by the time he’s where Asky is now.
Didn’t love the soft goals, but I think we have to be patient with Asky the way we are with all the young skaters who make mistakes. Even last night he made some high quality NHL saves. He’s like the shortstop who makes the incredible play in the hole but then misses some frustrating routine stuff. I think NHL shots might be surprising him a little bit with the extra pace.
I’m not sure picking Ravensbergen had anything to do with doubts about Askarov’s skill in net, but I do wonder if they’re hedging their bet on Askarov’s ability to stay healthy. So far so good this season but last year he had a few injuries from what I recall.
Oh yeah for sure, “clearly”.🙄😳🤨🤫
While it is frustrating to see the Sharks lose due to poor goaltending, don’t give up on Askarov just yet. He is only 23. None of the best Sharks’ goalies (Nabokov, Irbe, Jones, Niemi) played even a single NHL game by the age of 24. The goal for the franchise is to be competitive when its core is in their primes, at least 3-5 years from now. Goalies take a while to mature due to the mental side of the game. Much of learning and experience comes from making mistakes, and goalies’ mistakes are for everyone to see. Let him… Read more »
One other thing about this game, it was really kind of cool… I’m not sure I’ve seen that many players that are as good at stripping the puck from behind as Will Smith is. Guys think they’re by him and they’re about to escape, and then he just strips them of the puck. He is a sneaky little shit.