ST. LOUIS — The San Jose Sharks look to be getting some significant reinforcements tonight.

Yaroslav Askarov (lower-body) will start, in his first appearance since Mar. 10.

Askarov knows that the Sharks, on a five-game losing streak, are falling fast out of the playoff race, but he’s also trying to not put too much pressure on himself, though he’s the team’s last line of defense: “We need try to relax and try to have fun, try to get that feeling back. Like in the middle of season or first couple months, we [were] hot, just having some fun, not overthinking and stuff, just playing.”

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Tyler Toffoli (lower-body) joined the Sharks in St. Louis on Wednesday and is officially a game-time decision tonight. Toffoli has been out since Mar. 19, when he left the first period of a 5-0 loss against the Buffalo Sabres.

He said that he felt good after today’s morning skate but admitted that he’s not quite 100 percent: “I wouldn’t say it’s too serious, but it’s definitely something that can maybe take a little bit more time. But position that we’re in, trying to win games, hopefully, I can help the team win tonight.”

Hopefully, Askarov and Toffoli can be difference-makers for a team that sorely needs that right now. Neither are having their best seasons, but when both are at top of their games, they’re impact players.

San Jose Sharks (32-31-6)

Today’s practice was optional, so the Sharks did not run lines.

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Askarov will start.

Head coach Ryan Warsofsky indicated that there are game-time decisions at forward and defense, so we won’t know until warm-ups who’s playing.

He did confirm that Igor Chernyshov, who just played his first game on Tuesday after a scary Mar. 14 concussion at the Montreal Canadiens, will play tonight.

It is worth noting that Pavol Regenda and Philipp Kurashev stayed out late during morning skate, so they look like the odd men out if Toffoli is ready to play.

Also, Warsofsky said he’s “still not sure” if Ty Dellandrea (lower-body) will be available to play on this road trip.

Warsofsky, by the way, had lots of praise for Dmitry Orlov, both on and off the ice:

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“Competes hard, gives everything he’s got every single night. Is it perfect some nights? No, but he finds a way, sometimes, to impact the game in his B or C game. I think he’s been a really good addition to our group.

“Knows how the game should be played and how physical you have to play as a defenseman to close and kill plays. He’s done a really good job this year, helping our younger guys in the back-end.

“He leads by example the way he prepares. He’s probably the first guy at the rink every single day. He takes care of himself, making sure he’s ready mentally and physically.”

St. Louis Blues (29-30-11)Where To Watch

Puck drop between the San Jose Sharks and St. Louis Blues is at 5 PM PT at Enterprise Center. Watch it live on NBC Sports California. Listen to it on the Sharks Audio Network.

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The post Preview/Lines #70: Askarov Starts, Who Sits If Toffoli Plays? appeared first on San Jose Hockey Now.