San Jose Sharks Attempt to Bounce Back Without Their Captain in Game 3
The San Jose Sharks head to Denver hoping to bounce back in Game 3 after surrendering home ice advantage Sunday Evening in Game 2.
Team Teal will be without their captain Joe Pavelski for Games 3 and 4. The team announced that he and winger Joonas Donskoi did not make the trip to Denver. Yet again the San Jose Sharks depth will get tested against this potent Colorado Avalanche offensive attack.
The final score of Game 2 made the contest seem closer than it actually played out. For much of the game the Sharks seemed gassed, lagging behind the speedy Colorado skaters. Martin Jones had a tough time filtering through the traffic in front of the net. The Avs were able to generate tons of dangerous looks at the 29-year-old netminder who played well despite giving up 4 goals.
Most of the scoring chances created by the Avalanche stemmed from the play of their best players. Fans should anticipate seeing tons of Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen, and Tyson Barrie tonight considering all 4 of them clocked in over 22:37 of ice time in Game 2. It will be interesting to see if Coach Pete DeBoer makes any adjustments to his game plan of matching them against the Vlasic/Burns pairing if things get out hand early in Game 3.
Brent Burns has played well in his newfound shutdown role, but it’s on the offensive end of the ice where he’s been dominate. Brent Burns continues his string of elite Stanley Cup Playoff performances for the San Jose Sharks. He’s put up 8 primary points in his past 3 games, while logging huge minutes in crucial situations. It’s hard to imagine this being possible but Team Teal needs to get Burns involved in the offense more considering how effective he’s been during the first contests of Round 2.
The Norris Trophy Nominated blueliner has had the most impact when he’s gotten involved near the high slot and by the dots. Overall the Sharks need to focus on generating offense closer to Philipp Grubauer, instead of relying heavily on shots from the point.
Early today the Sharks announced that Joe Pavelski and Joonas Donskoi didn’t make the trip to Denver. Gustav Nyquist’s wife Danielle gave birth recently, but will present for Game 3. These lineups are fluid until puck drop and things can change, but here’s who to expect on the ice in Game 3 for both teams.
San Jose Sharks
Forward Combinations
Timo Meier ~ Logan Couture ~ Gus Nyquist
Evander Kane ~ Tomas Hertl ~ Lukas Radil
Marcus Sorensen~ Joe Thornton ~ Kevin Labanc
Micheal Haley ~ Barclay Goodrow ~ Melker Karlsson
Defensive Pairings
Marc-Edouard Vlasic ~ Brent Burns
Brenden Dillon ~ Erik Karlsson
Joakim Ryan ~ Justin Braun
Goalie
Projected Starter ~ Martin Jones
Backup ~ Aaron Dell
Colorado Avalanche
Forward Combinations
Gabriel Landeskog~ Nathan MacKinnon ~ Alexander Kerfoot
Mikko Rantanen ~ Carl Soderberg ~ Colin Wilson
Derick Brassard ~ JT Compher ~ Matt Nieto
Sven Andrighetto ~ Tyson Jost ~ Gabriel Bourque
Defensive Pairings
Ian Cole ~ Erik Johnson
Nikita Zadorov ~ Tyson Barrie
Cale Makar ~ Samuel Girard
Goalie
Projected Starter ~ Philipp Grubauer
Backup ~ Semyon Varlamov
Hot. Martin Jones is the Key to the San Jose Sharks Success. light
The San Jose Sharks are looking to bounce back after a disappointing loss in Game 2. Team Teal should be better prepared for this one considering they’ve gotten a week of separation from the 7 Game gauntlet versus the Vegas Golden Knights.
Puck drop for tonight’s game at the SAP Center is at 7:00 PM PT. The game will be televised nationally on NBCSN. The audio can be streamed on the NHL and Sharks App courtesy of 98.5 KFOX.