Two things remain true as the San Jose Sharks get set to play the Seattle Kraken on Saturday to conclude a three-game road trip against Western Conference teams.
One, Yaroslav Askarov is playing as well as any goalie in the NHL right now.
Two, the Sharks, despite improvements, are still fully capable of laying a complete egg against any given opponent.
Both came to pass on Thursday as the Sharks stunk up the Saddledome in a 2-0 loss to the Calgary Flames, the NHL’s last-place team.
The Sharks made some ghastly errors with the puck and managed just six shots in the first two periods, as they unceremoniously saw their seven-game point streak and four-game win streak snapped.
Askarov was terrific as he made 34 saves and will likely be in the net again Saturday, when the Sharks try to pick up the pieces against the Kraken, who are 2-1-1 since a 6-1 home loss to San Jose on Nov. 5.
“We were awful tonight,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “(Askarov) was unbelievable. It shouldn’t have been a 2-0 game, that’s for sure. He was the only one who was ready to play.”
Takeaways from Thursday’s loss:
ANOTHER SLOW START
It’s been said that sometimes teams start to play their best just as a losing streak nears an end, and begin reverting to some bad habits right before a winning streak comes to a close.
That appears to have been the case with the Sharks over the last two-plus weeks.
The Sharks probably deserved a better fate against Los Angeles on Oct. 28 when they outshot the Kings 40-14 but still lost 4-3 in regulation time. On Tuesday, though, the Sharks were outplayed by the Minnesota Wild but found a way to earn a 2-1 win thanks to two magnificent assists by Macklin Celebrini.
So before Thursday’s game, the message from the coaches to the players had to have been that they needed a better start and couldn’t afford to take the Flames, the NHL’s lowest scoring team, lightly.
That the Sharks didn’t heed that presumptive message is a significant cause for concern.
Speaking on NBC Sports California after the Sharks were outshot 13-1 in the first period, defenseman Mario Ferraro said Askarov was, “keeping us in it. Aside from him, I don’t think we did one good thing out there.”
Ferraro lamented the Sharks’ lack of a north-south game and their inability to win 50-50 battles, promising that the message would be delivered at intermission.
That may have been the case, but it wasn’t immediately heeded as the Sharks were outshot 14-5 and outchanced 15-4 in the second period, per Natural Stat Trick.
Another issue? The Sharks have now managed just four goals during 5-on-5 play in their last four games.
“I don’t think we were ready to play tonight, and I think overall, it was just frustrating,” Sharks winger Tyler Toffoli said in a damning statement. “(The Flames) are a hard-working team, and they’re desperate. But I think what has made us successful this season is being desperate. Obviously, a little disappointing.”
OFF NIGHT FOR ORLOV, KLINGBERG
Dmitry Orlov and John Klingberg had their struggles on Thursday. Orlov had two huge giveaways that could have easily been goals had it not been for Askarov, and Klingberg, also listed with two giveaways, took a tripping penalty late in the third period that cut into the time the Sharks had to get the tying goal.
Both veterans are also significant parts of the Sharks’ power play, which has gone 2-for-26 over the last nine games — a performance that is obviously not good enough. The Sharks got a game-tying power play goal from Will Smith on Tuesday, but managed just three shots on two tries with the man advantage against Calgary.
Sam Dickinson took ownership of the goal that was allowed to Blake Coleman in the second period, which broke a scoreless tie.
“Unfortunate bounce,” Dickinson said. “I’ve got to make a better play there. I’m caught standing still and get pickpocketed.”
Hindsight is 20/20, but the decision to play Dickinson, who had 13:45 in ice time on Tuesday, instead of Shakir Mukhamadullin, who played 18:32, on Thursday was an odd one. Dickinson needs to get his reps, but so does Mukhamadullin. Those guys figure to be in San Jose for a long time. A few other Sharks defensemen may not be.
ASKAROV’S THE REAL DEAL
Askarov, per Natural Stat Trick, faced 15 high danger chances on Thursday and stood tall against almost all of them. Now, over his last five starts, Askarov has a ridiculous .965 save percentage.
No goalie can keep that up over the long haul, but Askarov looks as calm and cool in the net right now as any Sharks goalie in the last 10 years, including Mackenzie Blackwood and Martin Jones. Except Askarov is younger than both.
Askarov will probably start Saturday, given Alex Nedeljkovic’s uncertain status (he’s away from the team on a personal matter), and Jakub Skarek’s lack of NHL experience. The Sharks can’t waste more of his efforts if he continues to play like this.