"By all means, last night's game was anticipated as a big test for the rising Sharks. The Sharks hadn't won in Denver since early 2019, and this current iteration of the Colorado Avalanche, nestled in the Mile High City, are a mile ahead of the rest of its NHL peers. Not to be outdone, the Sharks were playing some of their best hockey in years this November, including handing the Avalanche their only loss of the month coming into this matchup."
"Following a burst of two goals against in a span of a two minutes, Ryan Warsofsky made the call to yank goaltender Yaroslav Askarov for Alex Nedeljkovic. Of the four goals against, Askarov gave up only one that he would especially want back, but it is hard to fault him on the rest. The Avalanche effectively closed his line of sight and beat him clean on shots labeled for the back of the net."
"The Askarov-Nedeljkovic substitution ostensibly served more as a wakeup call for the team rather than a statement on Askarov's game in Denver. It should serve as a gut punch to watch your star goaltender, playing one of the best months by a Sharks goaltender ever, left out to dry. Unfortunately, the shock did not instantly pay off. Nedeljkovic didn't even have a chance to settle into the game before the Avalanche scored again, just seconds into his turn in the crease."
The Colorado Avalanche delivered a dominant 6-0 win over the San Jose Sharks in Denver, asserting clear Stanley Cup-contender form. Mackenzie Blackwood recorded the third consecutive team shutout while the Avalanche offense relentlessly pressured the Sharks. Yaroslav Askarov was pulled after a rapid two-goal span and replaced by Alex Nedeljkovic. Of the goals allowed, only one was fully Askarov's to own; the others resulted from the Avalanche closing sight lines and scoring cleanly on back-of-the-net chances. The goalie change served as a wakeup call, and a Warsofsky timeout helped stabilize the team thereafter.
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