Sharks' Yaroslav Askarov: Makes 27 saves in preseason finale
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Askarov stopped 27 of 29 shots in Saturday's 4-2 preseason win over the Golden Knights.
Askarov was crucial in keeping the Sharks in the game even though the Golden Knights looked in control for much of the contest. He kept the Golden Knights scoreless in the first period and allowed only Tomas Hertl's power-play tally through 40 minutes despite facing 25 shots over the opening two frames. The 24-year-old will open the 2026-27 season as the Sharks' top-choice goaltender and will look to bounce back after a 2025-26 campaign in which he went 21-20-4 with a 3.63 GAA and a disappointing .883 save percentage over 47 regular-season appearances.
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Sharks' Yaroslav Askarov: Set to face Vegas
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Askarov is expected to protect the road net in Saturday's preseason finale against the Golden Knights, Max Miller of NHL.com reports.
Askarov went 21-20-4 with a 3.63 GAA and an .883 save percentage over 47 regular-season appearances in 2025-26. He is poised to enter the 2026-27 campaign as San Jose's No. 1 netminder, but he will likely compete with Alex Nedeljkovic for starts.
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Sharks' Yaroslav Askarov: Solid in exhibition loss
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Askarov turned aside 22 of 23 shots in regulation in a 2-1 shootout loss to Vegas in Tuesday's preseason tilt.
Askarov struggled in 2025-26, finishing the regular season with a 21-20-4 record, 3.63 GAA and .883 save percentage in 47 outings with San Jose. However, he's still just 24 years old and is a highly regarded netminder, so it wouldn't be shocking to see him make strides in 2026-27. It helps that San Jose upgraded its defense over the summer by adding Darnell Nurse and Jacob Trouba.
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Sharks' Yaroslav Askarov: Set to start Tuesday
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Askarov is expected to patrol the home crease in Tuesday's preseason game against Vegas, according to Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News.
Askarov posted a 21-20-4 record with a 3.63 GAA and an .883 save percentage over 47 regular-season appearances in 2025-26. He should get most of the starts for the Sharks again in the 2026-27 campaign, but he could face competition from Alex Nedeljkovic, Eric Comrie or Ilya Samsonov if he doesn't improve.
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Sharks' Yaroslav Askarov: Yields five goals in loss
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Askarov allowed five goals on 24 shots in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Blackhawks.
Askarov has skidded to the finish line this season, losing four straight contests (0-3-1) while allowing 19 goals on 128 shots in that span. He dropped to 21-20-4 with a 3.63 GAA and an .883 save percentage over 47 starts this season. Askarov likely won't be asked to make consecutive starts to close out 2025-26 -- look for Alex Nedeljkovic to tend the twine in Winnipeg for the season finale Thursday.
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Sharks' Yaroslav Askarov: Set to face Chicago
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Askarov is expected to start on the road against Chicago on Wednesday, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now.
Askarov has a 21-19-4 record, 3.59 GAA and .885 save percentage in 46 outings this season. He's allowed at least three goals in each of his past five outings. Chicago has gone 7-17-7 while averaging just 2.23 goals per game across its past 31 matches.
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Sharks' Yaroslav Askarov: Good performance in shootout loss
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Askarov stopped 38 of 41 shots in Saturday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Canucks.
Askarov has lost his last three outings (0-2-1), but this was a capable performance. The goalie has given up at least three goals in five straight appearances, and those struggles have all but cost the Sharks a chance at a playoff spot. Askarov is down to 21-19-4 with a 3.59 GAA and an .885 save percentage over 46 contests in his first full NHL campaign. There's a lot to like with him in the long run, especially if the Sharks can make some much-needed defensive improvements. They'll close out this season on the road with three games in four days, beginning Monday in Nashville.
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Sharks' Yaroslav Askarov: First off ice Saturday
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Askarov was the first netminder off the ice at morning practice, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports, and is slated to defend the home cage versus Vancouver on Saturday.
Askarov is 2-2-0 in his last four starts, but he has allowed 18 goals on 120 shots (.850 save percentage). Askarov is 21-19-3 with a 3.62 GAA and an .883 save percentage over 45 appearances this season. He was supposed to be the Sharks' goalie of the future, but the 23-year-old has not shown any signs of running with the job. The Canucks are last in the NHL standings and have managed a league-low 198 goals in 78 games.
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Sharks' Yaroslav Askarov: Stumbles again Thursday
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Askarov allowed six goals on 30 shots in Thursday's 6-1 loss to the Ducks.
Askarov gave up the first hat trick of John Carlson's career in this contest. This was a second straight loss for Askarov, who has allowed 11 goals on 63 shots over those two appearances. The 23-year-old's goaltending simply hasn't been good enough lately to keep the Sharks competitive in the playoff race -- they're now four points back of the Kings for the second wild-card spot, with two teams in between. Askarov is now down to 21-19-3 with a 3.62 GAA and an .883 save percentage across 45 starts. The Sharks will be in must-win mode versus the Canucks on Saturday, and that makes it unclear if Askarov will be the one trusted to take care of the favorable matchup.
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Sharks' Yaroslav Askarov: Starting against Ducks
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Askarov will get the start in Thursday's road game versus the Ducks, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports.
Askarov has allowed 12 goals on 90 shots over his last three games, though he's come away with a 2-1-0 record in that span. One of those wins came against the Ducks on April 1 when he stopped 28 of 31 shots in a 4-3 victory. He's working the second half of a back-to-back after Alex Nedeljkovic struggled in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Oilers.
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Sharks' Yaroslav Askarov: Earns win over St. Louis
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Askarov stopped 22 of 26 shots in Monday's 5-4 win over the Blues.
Askarov was beaten at least once in each period, and while the game looked destined to go into overtime, a late strike from Adam Gaudette allowed Askarov to earn his first win in regulation since March 3. Askarov has been limited to just two appearances over the Sharks' last 10 games due to injuries, but if he manages to stay healthy down the stretch, he should get a fair amount of work between the pipes. Askarov owns a 3.54 GAA over seven appearances since the Olympic break while posting a subpar .875 save percentage, so the combination of below-average save numbers and limited availability doesn't bode well for his upside.
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Sharks' Yaroslav Askarov: Exits Thursday's game
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Askarov won't return to Thursday's game versus the Blues after sustaining an apparent upper-body injury.
Askarov seemed to indicate an issue with his neck after getting run into in his crease during the second period. He stopped all 11 shots he faced prior to his exit, and Alex Nedeljkovic replaced him between the pipes. Askarov was making his return from a lower-body injury that cost him seven contests. If he is forced to miss more time, Laurent Brossoit is likely to be recalled from AHL San Jose to fill the backup role. The Sharks visit the Blue Jackets on Saturday.
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Sharks' Yaroslav Askarov: Tending twine Thursday
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Askarov will patrol the crease on the road versus the Blues on Thursday, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports.
Askarov last featured for the Sharks back on March 10 versus the Sabres, a stretch of seven games on the shelf due to his lower-body injury. Prior to getting hurt, the netminder had allowed at least three goals in 22 of his last 24 outings, posting a 10-11-2 record and 4.01 GAA. With the amount of offensive support the Sharks can offer these days -- 3.03 goals per game -- Askarov doesn't need to be perfect but will need to be better to get them into the playoffs in the future.
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Sharks' Yaroslav Askarov: Still unavailable
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Askarov (lower body) isn't expected to be an option for Saturday's home game against Philadelphia, according to Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News.
Askarov remains day-to-day and will miss his sixth straight game. It is still unclear when he will be available to return to the lineup. He has earned a 19-17-3 record this season with a 3.56 GAA and an .886 save percentage through 40 appearances.
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Sharks' Yaroslav Askarov: Remains out Thursday
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Askarov (lower body) is expected to miss Thursday's game against Buffalo, per Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News.
Askarov hasn't been in net since March 10 because of the injury. He's 19-17-3 with a 3.56 GAA and an .886 save percentage in 40 outings in 2025-26. Alex Nedeljkovic is expected to get the home start against Buffalo, while Laurent Brossoit is set to serve as the understudy.
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Sharks' Yaroslav Askarov: Still day-to-day
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Askarov (lower body) remains day-to-day and isn't expected to be in the lineup for Tuesday's road matchup against Edmonton, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now.
Askaov is poised to miss his fourth straight game, and he will be evaluated further once the team returns to San Jose. He has earned a 19-17-3 record this season with a 3.56 GAA and an .886 save percentage through 40 appearances.
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Sharks' Yaroslav Askarov: Unavailable Thursday
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Askarov (lower body) won't play Thursday versus the Bruins.
Askarov will miss one game with the issue that cropped up earlier Thursday. Alex Nedeljkovic will take over the starting role for the Sharks while Askarov is out.
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Sharks' Yaroslav Askarov: Can't stop herd of buffalo
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Askarov made 20 saves in a 6-3 loss to the Sabres on Tuesday. He allowed five goals.
Honestly, there are few teams that have been able to stop the Buffalo herd, and the Sharks were outmatched at times. San Jose is one point behind the Seattle Kraken for the second wild-card spot in the West. Since Feb. 2, Askarov is 2-4-1 with 26 goals allowed (.869 save percentage). Overall, he continues to develop, putting up a 19-17-3 record with a 3.56 GAA and .886 save percentage.
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Sharks' Yaroslav Askarov: Facing Islanders
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Askarov will guard the home goal versus the Islanders on Saturday, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports.
Askarov will get the second half of a back-to-back after Alex Nedeljkovic was in goal for Friday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Blues. The Sharks have started to alternate goalies, with this being Askarov's third start in the last five games, though that may be influenced by a pair of back-to-back sets. The Islanders have lost their last two games, scoring a total of four goals.
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Sharks' Yaroslav Askarov: Set to face Montreal
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Askarov was the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate, according to Max Miller of NHL.com, indicating he will patrol the home crease against the Canadiens on Tuesday.
Askarov is coming off a 20-save effort in Saturday's 5-4 win over Edmonton. He has gone 18-16-2 this campaign with a 3.53 GAA and an .887 save percentage across 37 appearances. Montreal sits fourth in the league with 3.49 goals per game this season.
