Sharks' Yaroslav Askarov: Pulled after early team collapse

Askarov allowed three goals on 10 shots before being replaced by Alex Nedeljkovic early in the first period of Saturday's 7-3 loss to Tampa Bay.

The bottom line was simple -- the Sharks were not ready to play at puck drop, and that left Askarov completely alone on most plays. The southpaw had won three straight games with an .891 save percentage. Overall, Askarov is 15-10-1, but his 3.46 GAA and .895 save percentage are both below league average. It's not really a surprise -- the young Sharks are fun to watch and score a lot of goals, but they are as porous as a sieve in their own zone.