SAN JOSE – Will Smith will return to the San Jose Sharks’ lineup on Saturday night time in opposition to the Buffalo Sabres however fellow ahead William Eklund’s availability will probably be decided nearer to recreation time, coach Ryan Warsofsky stated.
It wasn’t instantly clear why Eklund was questionable for Saturday’s recreation, however Warsofsky stated Eklund was not coping with the identical upper-body harm that stored him out of the Sharks’ recreation in opposition to the Winnipeg Jets on Oct. 18.
Eklund, in simply his second full NHL season, is the Sharks’ second-leading scorer with 16 factors in 21 video games and is second amongst all forwards in common time on ice (20:22). Utilized in all conditions, Eklund has seven factors in his final six video games, as he, Mikael Granlund and Fabian Zetterlund have shaped an efficient ahead line.
Smith was stored out of Thursday’s lineup in St. Louis because the Sharks gave the rookie ahead his fifth improvement day of the season. The Sharks misplaced 3-2 to the Blues in a shootout and have factors in 9 of their final 13 video games after an 0-7-2 begin.
Mackenzie Blackwood will begin Saturday’s recreation in opposition to the Sabres with Vitek Vanecek backing up. Vanecek has been day-to-day with an upper-body harm he sustained final Saturday in a recreation in opposition to the Pittsburgh Penguins however did get on the ice earlier than Wednesday’s recreation in Dallas.
Yaroslav Askarov will probably be a scratch for Saturday’s recreation, however the Sharks will hold three goalies on the roster in the intervening time. Askarov, recalled from the Barracuda on Monday, began Thursday’s recreation in St. Louis and stopped 29 of 31 pictures. The Barracuda are in Toronto this weekend to face the Marlies.
Warsofsky stated he’ll stick with the identical defensemen he had for Thursday’s recreation, with Jack Thompson remaining within the lineup and Henry Thrun being a scratch for a second straight recreation.
Together with Saturday, the Sharks play 5 occasions in eight days, as additionally they face Los Angeles on Monday and Ottawa on Wednesday earlier than a house and residential collection with the Seattle Kraken on Friday and Saturday.
Warsofsky stated middle Nico Sturm is enhancing from an upper-body harm he sustained within the Sharks’ recreation in opposition to the New York Rangers on Nov. 14, however stays unavailable. Sturm was positioned on injured reserve final Monday to create a roster spot for Askarov.
Initially Printed: November 23, 2024 at 11:42 AM PST
