San Jose Sharks return home to the SAP Center to host the Los Angeles Kings
By Conor Power
It feels like that road trip lasted for a year and a half, but after back-to-back defeats in Arizona and Colorado, the San Jose Sharks will be back home for only the second time in what feels like five years. In reality, it's the second home game in around three weeks, but that doesn't do my hyperbolic side any good. Tonight's opponent is going to be another strong hockey club coming into the tank when the Los Angeles Kings turn up to play the boys in teal.
The 12-1-1 road record of the Kings remains the best in the NHL. With only a regulation loss at the Rangers and an overtime loss at the Islanders blemishing their trips away from the City of Angeles, San Jose's recent hot performances at home will be tested tonight. Claiming the scalp of their Californian rivals would go a long way to proving that this Sharks team is a lot better than the start to the season that sunk them to the basement of the standings.
It'll be interesting tonight to watch the developments of the Anthony Duclair situation. Duclair was scratched for the game in Denver, and with a roster freeze incoming for the Christmas period, there is a possibility he gets moved at some point tonight, and we can start to truly embrace the rebuild that the organization is trying to go through. That pain will come at some point, but that will definitely be a story to watch tonight. Duclair making headlines on and off the ice.
Projected lineups
San Jose Sharks
Justin Bailey - Tomas Hertl - William Eklund
Alexander Barabanov -Mikael Granlund - Fabian Zetterlund
Mike Hoffman - Jack Studnicka - Luke Kunin
Kevin Labanc - Filip Zadina - Jacob MacDonald
Mario Ferraro - Kyle Burroughs
Nikita Okhotyuk - Jan Rutta
Henry Thrun - Calen Addison
Kaapo Kahkonen
Mackenzie Blackwood
Los Angeles Kings
Quinton Byfield - Anze Kopitar - Adrian Kempe
Kevin Fiala - Phillip Danault - Trevor Moore
Arthur Kaliyev - Pierre-Luc Dubois - Alex Laferriere
Carl Grundstrom - Nlake Lizotte - Trevor Lewis
Mikey Anderson - Drew Doughty
Jacob Moverare - Matt Roy
Andreas Englund - Jordan Spence
David Rittich
Cam Talbot
Puck Drop
This will be a 7:30 Pacific puck drop from the Shark tank. San Jose have won their last 3 in a row at home so they will be trying to extend that tonight. Getting back to winning ways is going to be important for trying to keep the confidence of this group high. This is a Kings team that has ambitions of winning the Stanley Cup at the end of the season. If San Jose can remain competitive, it'll be a positive tonight.