Askarov Stands Tall in Predators’ Shootout Win vs. Capitals

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Goaltender Yaroslav Askarov earned his first career NHL win for the Nashville Predators, who snapped a three-game losing streak with a 3-2 shootout victory over the Washington Capitals on Saturday (Dec. 30).

Yaroslav Askarov Nashville Predators
Yaroslav Askarov, Nashville Predators (Photo by Vincent Ethier/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Roman Josi and Luke Evangelista scored in regulation, and Gustav Nyquist and Ryan O’Reilly scored in the shootout to secure the win for Nashville, who earned out of four possible points in a back-to-back road set that included a 5-4 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Friday (Dec. 29).

Yaroslav Askarov’s Big Night

Askarov made 26 saves and stopped two shootout attempts in his first start of the season for the Predators against Washington. With goaltender Kevin Lankinen listed as day-to-day with illness, the Predators recalled Askarov from the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals ahead of the team’s back-to-back road set against Detroit and Washington. After Juuse Saros got the start against the former on Friday, Askarov got the nod against the latter on Saturday for his second career NHL start.

The 21-year-old Askarov, who is considered to be Nashville’s long-term future between the pipes, made 26 saves in regulation and overtime and two more in the shootout against fellow Russians Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alex Ovechkin.

Originally drafted by Nashville in the first round (11th overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft, Askarov is the highest-drafted Russian-born goaltender in NHL history. He played in his first NHL game on Jan. 12, 2023, at Montreal, becoming the youngest goaltender in franchise history to debut with the team (20 years, 210 days). He owns a career AHL record of 34-22-6, going 26-16-5 with a .911 save percentage as a rookie in 2022-23 and finishing the season tied for third in wins (26).

In addition to earning his first NHL win, Askarov became the 171st NHL goaltender to give up a goal to Ovechkin in regulation. The 38-year-old scored his 829th career goal against Askarov, who was just two years old when his fellow countryman was drafted first overall by Washington in 2004. Ovechkin is now 66 goals from passing Wayne Gretzky for the most all-time.

Penalty Killers Shine in OT

Before Askarov could earn his first career NHL win in the shootout, the Predators put together a strong performance in overtime, thanks in large part to special teams. Nashville started OT shorthanded with just over a minute remaining on a Luke Schenn hooking penalty from the final minute of regulation. 

At the start of overtime, Predators head coach Andrew Brunette went with the trio of O’Reilly, Colton Sissons, and Jeremy Lauzon, who successfully killed off the penalty against Washington’s unit of Ovechkin, Dylan Strome, Tom Wilson, and John Carlson.

“Those guys are such warriors,” Evangelista said of his teammates after the win. “[Sissons] is fearless, eating a one-timer from Ovechkin like that down the slot. They’re the reason we had a chance to win tonight. That was a huge kill; a lot of credit to them.”

Predators Blow Another Lead

At the risk of casting a shadow over an otherwise successful weekend for Nashville, it’s time to discuss the elephant in the room – namely, the Predators’ recent struggles when it comes to maintaining a lead. They held a one-goal lead on two separate occasions in the club’s OT loss in Detroit. They had a 2-0 lead over the Dallas Stars at the start of the third period in a Dec. 23 game that saw Dallas rally to score three goals in the third period – including two in the final 15 seconds of regulation – to secure a 3-2 win in regulation. 

Related: Forsberg’s Goals Not Enough in Predators’ OT Loss to Red Wings

Saturday’s game against Washington marked the latest in a series of blown leads for the Predators, who had a 2-0 advantage in the first period before giving up two unanswered goals to the Capitals. Nashville almost lost another heartbreaker in the final minute of regulation when Ovechkin appeared to give the Capitals a 3-2 lead during a delayed penalty with one minute remaining in the third period, but a video review determined that Nic Dowd had interfered with Askarov and the goal was waved off.

“I thought the first 10 minutes were really good, then we started getting back to some of the things that make us unsuccessful,” Brunette said. “But we self-corrected after the first, and I thought the last two periods we played our game.”

It appears that the Predators have yet to master the art of playing a full, 60-minute game this season, and it has proved costly on a few occasions. They caught a welcome break with the goaltender interference call on Dowd, but they were dangerously close to giving away the game late in the third.

Up Next

The Predators will look to build on Saturday’s win as they return to Nashville for a two-game homestand featuring matchups against Central Division rival Chicago on Jan. 2 and Calgary on Jan. 4. Following the homestand, they will head to Dallas for a rematch with the Stars on Jan. 6.

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