After the holiday break, Team Teal returned to the ice against the Vegas Golden Knights. Christmas has given the league a needed break from the constant mayhem of the NHL, and the Sharks return to the SAP Center tonight against the gamblers from Sin City. Getting back in the win column would let the Sharks continue to build confidence in the first half of this back-to-back series. They'll both be challenging games, but the Sharks can win them both.
Following the festive period, Team Teal will look for star center Macklin Celebrini to continue his rise and dominance in the Bay Area. There have been many conversations around the emerging Canadian star, and the Sharks know he'll be a cornerstone of the organization for many years. If he can continue his development and strong play at the NHL level, the Sharks can continue to address other concerns and leave Celebrini alone for now.
William Eklund is still day-to-day, and we're unsure of his status ahead of the clash with the Golden Knights. He's another piece of the puzzle for the San Jose Sharks future. We know the skill level of the Swedish winger, but there is no denying that the Swede hasn't been at his best to this point in the season. As the Sharks look for more from Eklund, he'll be on the shelf looking to cope with his injury.
Projected Lineups
Vegas Golden Knights
Victor Olofsson - Jack Eichel - Mark Stone
Tomas Hertl - William Karlsson - Keegan Kolesar
Brett Howden - Tanner Laczynski - Pavel Dorofeyev
Tanner Pearson - Cole Schwindt - Alexander Holtz
Brayden McNabb - Shea Theodore
Noah Hanifin - Alex Pietrangelo
Nicolas Hague - Zach Whitecloud
Adin Hill
Ilya Samsonov
San Jose Sharks
Barclay Goodrow - Mikael Granlund - Tyler Toffoli
Fabian Zetterlund - Macklin Celebrini - Will Smith
Nikolai Kovalenko - Alex Wennberg - Luke Kunin
Carl Grundstrom - Nico Sturm - Ty Dellandrea
Henry Thrun - Cody Ceci
Mario Ferraro - Timothy Liljegren
Shakir Mukhamadullin - Jan Rutta
Alexandar Georgiev
Yaroslav Askarov
Puck Drop
The puck will drop from the Shark Tank at 7:30 p.m. as the Sharks welcome back Tomas Hertl. Hertl was dealt at the deadline last year for a lot of the package the Sharks used to acquire Yaroslav Askarov from the Nashville Predators. It's always special when a former Shark comes back, especially when it's someone who was as impactful for this organization as Hertl was.