The last time the San Jose Sharks took to the ice, it was a disappointing defeat at the hands of the Arizona Coyotes. Tonight, the Sharks will be looking for retribution when they face an organization they have already beaten this season, the Calgary Flames. San Jose knows that there are only a few games left in the year, and some of these players are playing the last few games of their Sharks careers or even their NHL careers, depending on the player.
As the season unfolds, the San Jose Sharks are shifting their focus to the promising young players. Thomas Bordeleau, William Eklund, and Fabian Zetterlund are poised to become the team's new core. While it's always tough to move on from seasoned players like Logan Couture and Marc-Edourd Vlasic, the team's rebuild strategy makes it clear that the future lies in the hands of the youth.
For the present, all eyes should be on Filip Zadina tonight. The last time these two organizations clashed, Zadina had a stellar four-point night, breaking free from a slump he had been in for a while. While it's unlikely he'll repeat his four-point success, a goal or a couple of assists may be well within his reach, especially against a club that played a role in helping him regain his confidence.
Projected Lineups
Calgary Flames
Martin Pospisil - Nazem Kadri - Andrei Kuzmenko
Yegor Sharangovich - Mikael Backlund - Blake Coleman
Jonathan Huberdeau - Connor Zary - Andrew Mangiapane
A.J. Greer - Kevin Rooney - Matt Coronato
Mackenzie Weegar - Daniil Miromanov
Dennis Gilbert - Rasmus Andersson
Ilya Solovyov - Brayden Pachal
Jacob Markstrom
Dustin Wolf
San Jose Sharks
William Eklund - Mikael Granlund - Fabian Zetterlund
Justin Bailey - Luke Kunin - Collin Graf
Thomas Bordeleau - Jack Studnicka - Filip Zadina
Jacob MacDonald - Nico Sturm - Ryan Carpenter
Mario Ferraro - Jan Rutta
Henry Thrun - Kyle Burroughs
Marc-Edouard Vlasic - Calen Addison
Mackenzie Blackwood
Devin Cooley
Puck Drop
Tonight's 7:30 puck drop from the Shark Tank will be the penultimate home game of the season for the Team in Teal. If the Sharks will create memories for the fans to cherish from this season, they have a limited time to do it at the tank before the year's conclusion. San Jose can take the two points tonight and feel the high of a win or a loss tonight would cement the best odds at the first overall pick, regardless of how the rest of the season goes.