When the puck first dropped Thursday in San Jose, the goalies were the big storylines.
On one end of the ice was the Sharks’ Yaroslav Askarov, Nashville’s 2020 first-round pick, who was traded to San Jose four months ago.
kAm~? E96 @E96C 6?5 H2D yFDEFD p??F?6?[ }2D9G:==6’D 324<\FA ?6E>:?56C[ H9@ 925 366? A=2J:?8 D@ H6== E96 !C652E@CD DE2CE65 9:> 29625 @7 yFFD6 $2C@D]k^Am
kAmqFE 3J E96 6?5 @7 E96 !C65D’ e\d H:? @G6C $2? y@D6[ E96 8@2=:6D’ 677@CED H6C6 D:>A=J EH@ DF3A=@ED :? 2 C:49=J 6?E6CE2:?:?8 ?2CC2E:G6]k^Am
kAmx? 2 4@?E6DE E92E 762EFC65 `` 8@2=D[ E9C66 }2D9G:==6 A@H6C\A=2J D4@C6D[ E9C66 7:89ED W:? 7@FC D64@?5DX[ 2? 6;64E:@? 2?5 2 3=@H? E9C66\8@2= =625[ E96 !C652E@CD W`g\aa\fX 7:?2==J >2?2865 E@ 6IE6?5 E96:C H:??:?8 DEC62< E@ 2 D62D@?\9:89 7:G6 82>6D]k^Am
kAm“x =:<65 @FC DE2CE[” !C652E@CD 5676?D6>2? qC25J $<;6: D2:5 @? u2?sF6= $A@CED }6EH@C<] “%92E H2D 2 3:8 EFC?2C@F?5 7C@> ,%F6D52J’D f\d H:? @G6C $2? y@D6.] ~3G:@FD=J =@D:?8 E96 =625 =:<6 E92E :D ?@E H92E H6 H2?E] qFE x E9:?< H6 42? 3F:=5 @? E92E]”k^Am
kAm%96 !C65D 6>6C865 G:4E@C:@FD 3J H:??:?8 E96 E9:C5 A6C:@5[ @FED9@@E:?8 $2? y@D6 `d\`b 2?5 D4@C:?8 E96 =@?6 8@2= @G6C E96 82>6’D 7:?2= a_ >:?FE6D] #@@<:6 7@CH2C5 u65@C $G649<@G AC@5F465 E96 82>6 H:??6C[ D4@C:?8 2 A@H6C\A=2J 8@2= H:E9 ``icc C6>2:?:?8 :? E96 4@?E6DE]k^Am
kAmxE H2D E96 E9:C5 >2?\25G2?E286 8@2= @7 E96 82>6 7@C E96 !C65D[ H9@ 92G6 8@?6 D6G6?\7@C\`d @? E96 A@H6C A=2J @G6C E96 A2DE 7@FC 4@?E6DED]k^Am
kAm“%96 A@H6C A=2J H2D 8@@5 E@?:89E[ @3G:@FD=J D4@C65 D@>6 3:8 8@2=D[” $<;6: D2:5] “$@[ 567:?:E6=J 2 76H E9:?8D H6 42? =@@< 2E E@ 36 AC@F5 @7] qFE 567:?:E6=J ?665 E@ E:89E6? E9:?8D FA 2 =:EE=6 3:E 5676?D:G6=J]”k^Am
kAm%96 H:? H2D?’E D64FC65 F?E:= p??F?6? 2?5 5676?D6>2? }:4< q=2?<6?3FC8 4@>3:?65 E@ >2<6 D:I 8@2=>@FE9 D2G6D — 7@FC 3J p??F?6?[ EH@ 3J q=2?<6?3FC8 — 5FC:?8 2 H:=5[ ab\D64@?5 D6BF6?46 H:E9 23@FE D:I >:?FE6D C6>2:?:?8]k^Am
kAm“xE H2D 4C2KJ[” $<;6: D2:5 @7 E96 DEC6E49] “x 766= =:<6 x D2H :E D=@H >@E:@?] x D2H ,q=2?<6?3FC8. @G6C E96C6 5@H? @? @?6 <?66[ 2?5 96 >256 D@>6 82>6\D2G:?8 D2G6D C:89E E96C6] qFE ,p??F?6?. H2D 2H6D@>6] w6 >256 D@>6 9F86 D2G6D[ 5:5 2 8C62E ;@3]”k^Am
kAmxE H2D E96 =2E6DE :? 2 D6C:6D @7 9:89\D4@C:?8 82>6D 7@C E96 !C65D[ H9@ 92G6 366? @776?D:G6=J 492==6?865 7@C >@DE @7 E96 D62D@?] %96 D2>6 }2D9G:==6 E62> E92E H2D 96=5 E@ EH@ @C 76H6C 8@2=D ad E:>6D :? :ED 7:CDE cc 82>6D 92D ?@H A:=65 FA ae 8@2=D :? E96 =2DE 7:G6 4@?E6DED — :?4=F5:?8 `h :? E96 =2DE E9C66]k^Am
kAmQx H@F=5 =:<6 E@ A=2J E96D6 82>6D 6G6CJ ?:89E — e\d — H6’C6 D4@C:?8[ E96JVC6 D4@C:?8[ 6G6CJ3@5J :? E96 82>6[” $G649<@G k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^I]4@>^3C@@<D3C2EE6?^DE2EFD^`ggaegdacbhaecgf`bdQ E2C86ElQ03=2?<QmkDEC@?8mE@=5 C6A@CE6CDk^DEC@?8mk^2m] “x E9:?< :EVD 8@@5 7@C E96 72?D 2?5 8@@5 7@C FD E92E H6 H@? E9:D 82>6]”k^Am
kAm%96 !C652E@CD D4@C65 @? 7:G6 @7 E96:C 7:CDE a_ D9@ED 282:?DE pD<2C@G[ H9@ 56>2?565 2 EC256 =2DE DF>>6C 27E6C $2C@D D:8?65 2? 6:89E\J62C 4@?EC24E 6IE6?D:@?] }2D9G:==6 =65 d\a H:E9 `bi`` =67E :? E96 D64@?5 A6C:@5[ E92?<D :? A2CE E@ EH@ 8@2=D 7C@> u:=:A u@CD36C8[ H9@ E:65 9:D @H? 7C2?49:D6 C64@C5 3J D4@C:?8 :? 2 D6G6?E9 DEC2:89E 82>6]k^Am
kAm$G649<@G W@?6 8@2=[ @?6 2DD:DEX[ 7@CH2C5 %@>>J }@G2< W@?6 8@2=[ @?6 2DD:DEX[ $<;6: WE9C66 2DD:DEDX 2?5 7@CH2C5 +249 {’w6FC6FI WEH@ 2DD:DEDX 25565 >F=E:\A@:?E 82>6D 2D H6==]k^Am
kAmqFE E96C6 H6C6 2=D@ EC@F3=6D@>6 >@>6?ED]k^Am
kAm!C65D 7@CH2C5 r@=6 $>:E9 H2D 8:G6? 2 >2E49 A6?2=EJ 2?5 E@DD65 7C@> E96 82>6 =2E6 :? E96 D64@?5 A6C:@5[ H96? @77:4:2=D CF=65 96’5 56=:G6C65 2 3=@H E@ E96 9625 @7 $92C<D 7@CH2C5 %J s6==2?5C62] %96 }w{ H:== 564:56 H96E96C 7FCE96C 5:D4:A=:?6 :D ?646DD2CJ]k^Am
kAmx? 255:E:@?[ }2D9G:==6 4@F8965 FA E92E E9C66\8@2= =625 :? E96 D64@?5 A6C:@5[ 2D $2? y@D6 D4@C65 E9C66 E:>6D :? =6DD E92? E9C66 >:?FE6D E@ E:6 E96 4@?E6DE d\d]k^Am
kAmqFE :? E96 6?5[ E96 !C652E@CD AC@5F465 2 D64@?5 5C2>2E:4 G:4E@CJ @G6C E96 $92C<D :? E9C66 52JD] }2D9G:==6 925 C2==:65 7C@> 2 d\` 567:4:E E@ 362E $2? y@D6 :? qC:586DE@?6 pC6?2 @? %F6D52J]k^Am
kAm“xE’D 8C62E[” u@CD36C8 D2:5 @? E96 k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^HHH]?9=]4@>^AC652E@CD^?6HD^7@CD36C8\DG649<@G\=625\AC65D\E@\9@>6\2?5\9@>6\DH66A\@G6C\D92C<D\a_ad\_`\abQ E2C86ElQ03=2?<QmkDEC@?8mE62>’D H63D:E6k^DEC@?8mk^2m] “(6VC6 7:?5:?8 H2JD E@ H:? :? 82>6D H96C6 62C=J :? E96 D62D@?[ H6 5:5?VE] p?5 46CE2:?=J E96 677@CE :D E96C6] qFE E96C6VD 567:?:E6=J E9:?8D … H6 42? E:89E6? FA] qFE H6V== E2<6 E96 A@D:E:G6] tI4:E65 7@C E96 H:? 2?5 86E C625J 7@C E96 ?6IE 82>6]”k^Am
