San Jose Sharks play final game of the long road trip against tank rival Blackhawks
By Conor Power
Sometimes, we get games between teams that are not the best in the NHL. Sometimes, we get to see two teams that are tanking, and trying to lose games attempting to pick up the first overall draft selection try to find ways to lose to the other. Tonight, we will see two of the worst teams in NHL history statistically go toe-to-toe in a game that can only be described as a tankbowl.
The fight for Macklin Celebrini rages hard between these two. We now the Blackhawks are capable of stealing the first overall pick as they got to draft projected superstar Connor Bedard first overall last season. As the Sharks look to get a first overall pick, this is the kind of game that coming up short in would help them achieve that goal. Especially if it was to happen in regulation and the boys in teal didn't even get a point. That is if we are being sinical.
San Jose currently sit three points behind tonights opponent, having played a game more. If you want to turn this into a positive, the Sharks have a three point lead in the Celbrini sweepstakes. Now, finishing last doesn't mean that the first overall pick will definitively be San Jose's, The lottery can still steal a pick away from the team that perhaps needs it or wants it.
Projected lineups
San Jose Sharks
Fabian Zetterlund - Tomas Hertl - Filip Zadina
William Eklund - Mikael Granlund - Anthony Duclair
Alexander Barabanov - Luke Kunin - Justin Bailey
Kevin Labanc - Ryan Carpenter - Scott Sabourin
Mario Ferraro - Marc-Edouard Vlasic
Henry Thrun - Jan Rutta
Nikita Okhotiuk - Kyle Burroughs
Mackenzie Blackwood
Kaapo Kahkonen
Chicago Blackhawks
Rem Pitlic - Philipp Kurashev - Taylor Raddish
Colin Blackwell - Jason Dickinson - Joey Anderson
Lukas Reichel - Mackenzie Entwistle - Cole Guttman
Boris Kachouk - Zach Sanford- Ryan Donato
Alex Vlasic - Seth Jones
Kevin Korchinski - Nikita Zaitsev
Jarred Tinordi - Jaycob Megna
Arvid Soderblom
Petr Mrazek
Puck Drop
This is a 5:30 p.m. puck drop from the United Center. There have been a ton of great games to remember between the Sharks and Blackhawks over the years. The Chicago dynasty and its battles with the great Sharks teams of the 2010s. This will not be one of those to go into the memory bank. This is an indication that time waits for no one, and the strongest of empires and dynsastys will collapse to the earth too.