Goalie Yaroslav Askarov was the San Jose Sharks’ greatest participant for a 3rd straight recreation on Thursday.
However because of a principally sloppy and torpid efficiency by his teammates, Askarov’s effort didn’t end in a win.
Askarov made 34 saves, however the Sharks couldn’t get out of their very own means in a 2-0 loss to the Calgary Flames, ending their four-game profitable streak.
The Sharks managed only one shot within the first interval and 5 extra within the second towards a Flames workforce that entered Thursday in final place within the NHL standings.
Flames goalie and Gilroy native Dustin Wolf made 16 saves for his fourth NHL shutout, because the Sharks had been blanked for the second time this season. Flames ahead Samuel Honzek scored an empty-net objective with 4.1 seconds left to seal the win for his workforce.
“No one played very good tonight, besides (Askarov),” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky mentioned.
Askarov made 38 saves within the Sharks’ 3-1 win over the Florida Panthers final Saturday in San Jose, and adopted that up with a 28-save efficiency in a 2-1 time beyond regulation win over the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.
Thursday, puck play and miscommunication haunted the Sharks by the primary two durations, resulting in the Flames’ first objective.
With the puck within the Sharks’ zone, Philipp Kurashev tried to ship a go towards the center of the ice for defenseman Sam Dickinson simply contained in the blue line. Dickinson reached for the puck, however Kurashev skated towards him, wanting like he needed to take management.
As an alternative, nobody took possession. Flames ahead Blake Coleman picked Dickinson’s pocket, went in alone on Askarov, and scored his seventh of the season on the 5:46 mark of the second interval.
The Sharks had been outshot 27-6 within the first two durations.
“I don’t think we were ready to play tonight, and I think overall, it was just frustrating,” Sharks winger Tyler Toffoli mentioned. “(The Flames) are a hard-working team, and they’re desperate. But I think what has made us successful this season is being desperate. So, obviously, a little disappointing.”
Sharks winger Jeff Skinner needed to depart Thursday’s recreation within the first interval with what gave the impression to be a proper leg damage.
Skinner and Flames ahead Rory Kerins had been chasing after a free puck contained in the Calgary zone when Skinner caught an edge and misplaced his stability, inflicting his proper skate to collide awkwardly towards the boards.
Skinner instantly crumpled to the ice, clutched his decrease proper leg, and was unable to place any weight on it as he was helped off and led to the Sharks’ dressing room on the 18:07 mark of the primary interval.
The Sharks introduced earlier than the beginning of the second interval that Skinner wouldn’t return. Warsofsky didn’t have an replace on Skinner after the sport, but it surely appears honest to imagine that the veteran winger must miss a while.
The 33-year-old Skinner, who signed a one-year contract with the Sharks in July as a free agent, got here into Thursday with seven factors in 16 video games. In 1,095 profession NHL video games, Skinner has 377 targets and 329 assists.
The Sharks had been coming off a 2-1 time beyond regulation victory over the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, which prolonged their profitable streak to 4 video games and their level streak to seven video games (6-0-1) as they moved to inside one level of a playoff spot.
The Sharks had been trying to win a fifth straight recreation for the primary time since November 2019, after they gained six consecutive video games.
Coming into Thursday, the Flames had been the NHL’s lowest scoring workforce – by a large margin — at 2.06 targets per recreation. The Seattle Kraken, the Sharks’ opponent on Saturday, is thirty first in scoring, averaging 2.50 targets per recreation.
Earlier Thursday, the Sharks recalled goalie Jakub Skarek from the Barracuda, their AHL affiliate, on an emergency foundation as Alex Nedeljkovic continues to are inclined to a private matter in San Jose.
Nedeljkovic was anticipated to get the beginning towards the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, however, per the Sharks, a private matter got here up shortly earlier than the sport. As an alternative, Askarov began for the third time in 4 video games, with Nedeljkovic sitting on the bench throughout what turned a 2-1 win for the Sharks in time beyond regulation.
Nedeljkovic has since been granted non-roster standing, making a spot on the Sharks’ 23-man roster for Skarek.
It was not instantly recognized how lengthy Nedeljkovic can be away from the workforce.
