San Jose Sharks Go for Third Win in a Row Against the Chicago Blackhawks
Off the back of the newest addition to the San Jose Sharks roster, the team in teal is back in action as they face the Chicago Blackhawks. With Macklin Celebrini still out injured, there will be no Celebrini vs Bedard rivalry yet. He's not far away, but the Sharks remain without his services for now as they look to make it three straight victories against this original six roster. Can the Sharks do it again?
Mackenzie Blackwood is expected to be the netminder of choice after backstopping the Sharks in that miracle in Utah. Vanecek was good enough for the win against Los Angeles. Still, Blackwood getting the nod would signify the continuation of the rotation as the Sharks continue to probe for the hot-handed goaltender. When one of these two gets hot, they'll likely be trusted with the Lions' Share of the starting load, looking to get the Sharks up the standings.
Timothy Liljegren will not play tonight but is expected to make his way to San Jose. The Swedish defenseman was acquired yesterday evening and will travel across the continent to the Sunshine State. While this means the Sharks have to find success without Liljegren or Matt Benning, who was traded for Liljegren, this young team is getting more promising. The future of this organization is incredibly bright, and we can all enjoy it soon.
Projected Lineups
Chicago Blackhawks
Philipp Kurashev - Connor Bedard - Teuvo Teravainen
Taylor Hall - Nick Foligno - Tyler Bertuzzi
Ilya Mikheyev - Jason Dickinson - Ryan Donato
Pat Maroon - Lukas Reichel - Craig Smith
Wyatt Kaiser - Seth Jones
Alex Vlasic - Connor Murphy
Nolan Allan - T.J. Brodie
Petr Mrazek
Arvid Soderblom
San Jose Sharks
William Eklund - Mikael Granlund - Tyler Toffoli
Danil Gushchin - Alex Wennberg - Fabian Zetterlund
Barclay Goodrow - Will Smith - Luke Kunin
Carl Grundstrom - Nico Sturm - Ethan Cardwell
Jake Walman - Cody Ceci
Mario Ferraro - Jan Rutta
Henry Thrun - Jack Thompson
Mackenzie Blackwood
Vitek Vanecek
Puck Drop
The Sharks will start their battle with the Chicago Blackhawks at a traditional 7:30 start time. If you ask the extremely optimistic fans of both organizations, these two teams are looking for a win that could be pivotal for either draft positioning or a playoff push. San Jose is looking for revenge from the defeat earlier in the season, while the Blackhawks can distance themselves from the bottom of the standings.