San Jose Sharks Host Coyotes In First Preseason Home Game
By Felix Chow
As preseason and training camp rolls along, the San Jose Sharks get set to face the Arizona Coyotes in their first game at SAP Center. Fresh off a 4-0 shutout win against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night, and (unofficially) the first one for newcomer Martin Jones, the San Jose Sharks will look to build upon that win.
Ben Guerrero, the media relations manager for the Sharks, tweeted a photo of the roster for both teams this morning:
Tonight's roster for #SJSharks vs. Arizona Coyotes. Game at 7:30 pm at SAP Center. pic.twitter.com/qB9iIWfMRF
— Ben Guerrero (@brguerrero) September 25, 2015
Alex Stalock will get his first preseason start, as every other Sharks goaltender as has seen some sort of action through the first couple games of the preseason. Stalock, who is fighting an uphill battle for the starting position with Jones, will be looking to bounce-back after a sub-par performance last season, and will want to continue the strong play between the pipes as San Jose hasn’t allowed a goal during regulation thus far.
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With Patrick Marleau and Logan Couture absent, Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski will see the ice for the first time this preseason. The dynamic duo should be an instant threat, as Pavelski almost tied his career-high of 41 goals from the 2013-14 campaign (he had 37 last year). As for Jumbo Joe, well, he’s still one of the best playmakers in the league. Need I say more?
The intrigue is who will line up on the opposite wing as Peter DeBoer has decided to give Joonas Donskoi a look on the top line for tonight’s game. Donskoi, an older propsect at 23-years-old, has had a strong beginning to camp and is one player who looks like he could break through into the Sharks opening night lineup. Needless to say, he’s got a big opportunity tonight to impress even further.
One noticeable addition to the lineup tonight is Raffi Torres. Torres, who missed all of last season due to a preseason knee injury, will be raring to hit the ice again after a long period of rehab. It’s safe to say that fans of the San Jose Sharks missed his physical style of hockey.
According to Curtis Pashelska of the San Jose Mercury News, here’s how the Sharks lines should look for tonight:
– Joe Pavelski-Joe Thornton-Joonas Donskoi
– Tommy Wingels-Chris Tierney-Matt Nieto
– Timo Meier-Ben Smith-Nikolay Goldobin
– Raffi Torres-Bryan Lerg-Mike Brown
Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. tonight as San Jose Sharks hockey returns to the Bay Area.
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