After a sluggish (0-4-2) start to the season, the Sharks are flirting with playoff contention a third of the way through the season, largely credited to strong netminding from Askarov. The 23-year-old rookie netminder has an outstanding 65 percent quality start rate, posting a 2.96 GAA and .908 SV% in 17 games (10-6-1). The Sharks enter Wednesday's contest as +133 home underdogs against a Washington Capitals team that played last night, defeating the Los Angeles Kings 3-1.












