San Jose Sharks Make Their First Trip to Salt Lake City to Face the Utah Hockey Club
Your San Jose Sharks are trying again for their first win of the season. Currently 0-7-2 and the only team in NHL history to be winless after nine games in consecutive seasons, the Sharks are headed to the Delta Center. If you're unaware of where that is because you haven't been following the league outside of the Bay, it's in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Arizona Coyotes transferred their assets to the new Utah Hockey Club, which is the opponent tonight.
Utah started the season in an extraordinary fashion, but they've lost their last three games in a row. They're without two key defensemen in John Marino and Sean Durzi. Injuries are derailing the newest team in the NHL, and the Sharks have a chance to take advantage of an ailing roster. San Jose is winless on the year, but game ten could provide the turning point the organization needs to get in the win column.
Will Smith looks like the player destined to rejoin the lineup tonight. He's been a healthy scratch for a couple of games, trying to prioritize his confidence and development over throwing him in the deep end with this poor Sharks roster. If he can get onto the scoresheet tonight and get his first NHL point, the Sharks can take the positive momentum of a young player scoring and ride it.
Projected Lineups
San Jose Sharks
Danil Gushchin - Mikael Granlund - Tyler Toffoli
William Eklund - Alex Wennberg - Fabian Zetterlund
Barclay Goodrow - Will Smith - Luke Kunin
Carl Grundstrom - Nico Sturm - Givani Smith
Jake Walman - Cody Ceci
Mario Ferraro - Jan Rutta
Henry Thrun - Jack Thompson
Mackenzie Blackwood
Vitek Vanecek
Utah Hockey Club
Clayton Keller – Barrett Hayton – Nick Schmaltz
Lawson Crouse – Alexander Kerfoot – Josh Doan
Dylan Guenther – Jack McBain – Logan Cooley
Michael Carcone – Kevin Stenlund – Matias Maccelli
Mikhail Sergachev – Michael Kesselring
Ian Cole – Juuso Valimaki
Robert Bortuzzo – Vladislav Kolyachonok
Connor Ingram
Karel Vejmelka
Puck Drop
Tonight's game will start at 6 p.m. from Salt Lake City as the Sharks visit a new hockey town. It'll be a different task from the games played at Gila River Arena and much more typical than those at Mullet Arena against these players. Can the Sharks net their first win of the season, or will Utah start on the right foot between these two organizations?