The Sharks are in action against the Canucks tonight as they kick off a 5-game road trip before the league goes on break for the Winter Olympics. Points are at a premium as the playoff race continues to tighten, and the Sharks will need to take care of business against the league-worst Vancouver Canucks.
The Sharks have some positive injury news: both Sherwood and Kurashev were full participants in practice today, though neither will likely play tonight. It does suggest that both are close to returning and could be options for the Sharks next time out. Kurashev suffered a lower-body injury in December, while Sherwood fractured his hand while with the Canucks prior to the trade.
The Sharks will have to make some roster moves. When both players become available, they already assigned Chernyshov to the AHL over the weekend. While the young Russian played well in a top-6 role for the Sharks, his status as a waiver-exempt player, combined with less ice time on a fully healthy Sharks forward core, likely led to his being sent down. Chernyshov has no doubt made himself known as a key piece of the Sharks' future, however, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him back in the Sharks lineup post trade deadline if the Sharks deal from their glut of waiver-eligible forwards.
The projected Sharks' lines for tonight are as follows.
Graf - Celebrini - Smith
Regenda - Wennberg - Toffoli
Eklund - Misa - Gaudette
Goodrow - Ostapchuk - Reaves
Orlov - Klingberg
Ferraro - Liljegren
Dickinson - Desharnais
Askarov
Scratches: Skinner, Iorio
The Sharks' lineup will be the same as Friday against the Rangers, with the only change coming in net with Askarov coming in for Nedeljkovic. This is not much of a surprise, as the Sharks played a great game; they look to take that momentum against a struggling Canucks squad.
Up front, Michael Misa has found another gear in his game, with 3 points over the last 3 games, and is playing with the most confidence he has had at the top level. A big reason for this could be the consistency of playing every night. Earlier in the season, he was in and out of the lineup due to ice-time management and injury, not really getting an extended look at any point. However, since the World Juniors, Misa has played a lot of hockey this past month; it’s possible his game takes a turn similar to Will Smith's midway through last season.