Fansided

Preparing a West Side Story as the San Jose Sharks host the Winnipeg Jets

By Conor Power |
Dec 12, 2023; San Jose, California, USA; Winnipeg Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon (5) stands in the
Dec 12, 2023; San Jose, California, USA; Winnipeg Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon (5) stands in the / Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports

Two teams coming together that do not enjoy the other ones existence. It has to happen on the Pacific coast of the US, as we get a real-life West Side Story as the San Jose Sharks will host the Winnipeg Jets. The last time these two teams met, the Sharks got their most recent win on the season, but with nine straight losses since mean this game is a must-win if the Sharks are going to avoid a second double-digit losing streak.

With the Sharks going without Matt Benning for the remainder of the season of his hip surgery, San Jose will be calling on the young core of their blueline to step up and fill the void. In a game against one of the best teams in the NHL, this is going to be a strong test for the San Jose Sharks. Whether or not we get to see this Sharks team keep up with the monstrous offense of the Winnipeg Jets, we will see how this squad measures up against a strong club.

Projected Lineups

Winnipeg Jets

Cole Perfetti - Mark Schiefele - Alex Iafallo
Nikolaj Ehlers - Vladislav Namestnikov - Gabriel Vilardi
Nino Niederreiter - Adam Lowry - Mason Appleton
Morgan Baron - Dominic Toninato - Axel Jonsson-Fjallby
Josh Morrissey - Dylan DeMelo
Brenden Dillon - Neal Pionk
Dylan Samberg - Nate Schmidt
Laurent Brossoit
Connor Hellebuyck

San Jose Sharks

William Eklund - Tomas Hertl - Anthony Duclair
Fabian Zetterlund - Mikael Granlund - Mike Hoffman
Luke Kunin - Jack Studnicka - Alexander Barabanov
Justin Bailey - Ryan Carpenter - Filip Zadina
Mario Ferraro - Ty Emberson
Henry Thrun - Jan Rutta
Calen Addison - Kyle Burroughs
Mackenzie Blackwood
Kaapo Kahkonen

Puck Drop

This will be a 7 p.m Pacific puck drop. When the Sharks and Jets face off, we get to see a true west side story, and I appreciate that a lot. Whether this team is able to stay in the game with this Jets team will give us all a good indication of how far we are from seeing the Sharks return to being competitive. It's been too long as it is, and this rebuild seems to have been going on forever, but misery loves company, so try to enjoy tonights game folks.

Schedule