The San Jose Sharks have picked up where they left off before the two-week break. Win-less and riddled with more injuries. The Sharks have had a hard time keeping their top players healthy this season. As they sit last in the league, they could use their players healthy to try and rid them of the last-place position.
Askarov Leaves In The First Period And Does Not Make The Road Trip
Yaroslav Askarov appears to have injured his right leg leaning into the goal post on this sequence. #TheFutureIsTeal | #BarracudaHockey pic.twitter.com/inyCLhEKEh
— 𝙎𝙃𝘼𝙍𝙆 𝘾𝙄𝙏𝙔 𝙃𝙊𝘾𝙆𝙀𝙔 (@SharkCityHockey) February 20, 2025
Yaroslav Askarov is currently out and ruled as day-to-day with a non-serious injury. However, this injury has kept him out of the lineup for the San Jose Barracuda. This also takes him off the roster if the Sharks were to need him.
Askarov left his game on Wednesday, February 19th during the first period with a lower-body injury. This prevented him from making the trip with the Barracuda that weekend. The Barracuda is confident that his injury is not serious and not long-term.
The positive news is that this injury does not stem from his previous injury that kept him out of training camp. However, it has not been identified as to what the injury is. It does appear that he was favouring his left leg.
The Sharks worked hard to get their hands on Askarov over the off-season from the Nashville Predators. The top goaltending prospect has been a huge benefactor to the Sharks organization. His current record with the Barracuda is 10-7-1-3 with a .922 save percentage. His recovery is of the utmost importance to make sure he returns healthy.
Sharks Have Had Success With Askarov In Net
Askarov has played in 13 games with the San Jose Sharks. Even though his record with the Sharks is not as high as it is with the Barracuda, his presence on the ice makes a difference. While Vitek Vanecek was out with an injury, Askarov appeared to be the Shark’s best chance at goaltending.
Yaroslav Askarov is UNREAL
pic.twitter.com/ImWxj5zO1e— SleeperNHL (@SleeperNHL) December 29, 2024
The young Russian goaltender has pulled the Sharks out of some sticky situations. On January 27th, Askarov helped the Sharks break their six-game losing streak against the Pittsburgh Penguins. In mid-December when they faced the Edmonton Oilers, he blocked 39 of the 42 shots on goal.
Askarov Out For Time Being For Both Barracuda And Sharks
The Barracuda are utilizing their other three goaltenders while Askarov is out, Georgi Romanov, Gabriel Carriere and Aaron Dell. Romanov has played in 20 games, Dell has played in five and Carriere has played in seven.
Romanov has been the second top goaltender behind Askarov, as he has played the most games out of all four goaltenders. He has a record of 10-6-3 and a .909 save percentage. Carriere played for Askarov when he left the first period after being injured. He has a 4-3-0 record with a .901 save percentage and two assists.
Dell has the least amount of games played for the Barracuda and has a 1-3-1 record and a.897 save percentage. He will likely be on the trip with the other goaltenders as backup. However, he potentially will not play unless they are in dire need of someone.
Romanov and Carriere will likely hold down the goaltending during the time that Asakrov is out. If the Sharks require a goaltender, they will call up Romanov as he has the best record in the AHL for the Barracuda. Carriere could be a contender but it is highly unlikely that he will be called up.
No official word has been released about the exact injury or the time frame as to when Askarov will return.
Main Photo: Steven Bisig- Imagn Images
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