SAN JOSE – San Jose Barracuda goalie Yaroslav Askarov left Wednesday night’s game against the Ontario Reign in the first period with what appeared to be a lower-body injury.
Askarov allowed two goals in the first 8:05 of the first period as the Reign took a 2-0 lead over the Barracuda, the San Jose Sharks’ AHL affiliate. After the second goal, Askarov appeared bothered by his left leg but remained in the game.
Just over a minute after the Barracuda fell behind 3-0 at the 9:50 mark of the first, Askarov, during a media time out, went to the Barracuda bench to talk with head athletic trainer Jaime Garcia, then left the ice and returned to the team’s dressing room.
Askarov allowed three goals on 14 shots in 11:08. He was also penalized early in the first period for playing the puck outside the restricted area, leading to an Ontario power play goal, and his giveaway later in the first led to the Reign’s second score.
Gabe Carriere replaced Askarov with 8:52 left in the first and allowed three goals on 21 shots as the Barracuda lost 6-4 at Tech CU Arena.
Barracuda coach John McCarthy did not have an update on Askarov’s injury following the game, saying only that team trainers were still examining the Russian-born goalie.
The 22-year-old Askarov, acquired from the Nashville Predators last August and considered the Sharks’ goalie of the future, entered Wednesday with a 10-7-1 record and a .926 save percentage in 18 AHL games with the Barracuda this season. He has also played 13 games with the Sharks this season, going 4-6-2 with a .896 save percentage.
Askarov played two NHL games in November and was also on the Sharks roster from Dec. 18 to Feb. 2 as goalie Vitek Vanecek recovered from a fractured cheekbone. Once Vanecek was deemed fit to play in NHL games again, Askarov was returned to the Barracuda and took part in the AHL All-Star Classic from Feb. 3-4 in Palm Desert, helping represent the Pacific Division.
Since his return to the AHL earlier this month, Askarov had gone 1-3-0 with a .878 save percentage.
An extended Askarov absence could put the Barracuda in a tough spot with their goaltending, as fellow goalie Georgi Romanov was injured on Feb. 11 in San Jose’s game against the Colorado Eagles. Romanov is considered week-to-week.
Along with Carriere, San Jose also has veteran goalie Aaron Dell on its roster.
Danil Gushchin, Tristen Robins, Luca Cagnoni and Andrew Poturalski all scored for the Barracuda, who are now 2-5-1 record this month and have fallen into sixth place in the Pacific Division with 55 points.
The Barracuda (25-18-2-3) have a rematch with the Reign on Saturday in Ontario.