The Sharks are kicking off a 5-game road trip tonight against the Buffalo Sabres. The Sharks are looking to snap a 2-game skid, dropping both games of a back-to-back in overtime over the weekend. They will have a tough task in front of them in the Sabres, who are all but certain to break their 14-year playoff drought. The Sabres are on fire, riding a 7-game win streak and putting up 8 goals on the Lightning their last time out.
The Sharks sit a point out of the final wild card spot, with a game in hand on the Kraken, and 2 games in hand on the Oilers, who are 4 points ahead. It is crucial that the Sharks cash in on their games in hand to help close the gap in the standings, and a win tonight would go a long way toward that.Â
The Sharks projected lines are as follows.
Graf - Celebrini - Smith
Kurashev - Wennberg - Sherwood
Eklund - Misa - Toffoli
Goodrow - Ostapchuk - Gaudette
Orlov - Klingberg
Ferraro - Mukhamadullin
Dickinson - Desharnais
Askarov
Scratched: Reaves, Regenda, Leddy
The Sharks' lines will remain mostly the same, with the only change being Gaudette drawing back in for Reaves on the 4th-line upfront. While the D-pairs remain the same.Â
The Sharks need more from their offense, which only contributed 3 goals over the last 2-games. William Eklund, in particular, needs to find another gear. The 23-year-old Swedish winger has shown some good chemistry with Michael Misa since moving to the young centers wing. However, he has not found the back of the net since January 7th, that's a long drought for someone as skilled as Eklund, even if you consider the league took 3 weeks off in February.Â
After the Liljegren trade, the Sharks' d-pairs seem to have finally settled with Mukhamadullin settling next to Ferraro and playing quite well since the Trade deadline. This is an important stretch for the young defender to show the top brass he can be a long-term piece on the backend as the Sharks inevitably look to shake up their blueline over the summer.Â
Askarov will get the crease today after playing quite well their last time out. If the Sharks are going to get into the playoffs, they need him to step up and play his best hockey down the stretch.Â
Games are starting to have more playoff intensity, something sorely missed after six years of missing the playoffs. The Sharks are in an ok spot, and it will be interesting to see if they can cash in on a big 5-game road trip.