The Sharks will have a tough test tonight as they prepare to take on the league-leading Colorado Avalanche on the road. This is a test they have overcome once already this season, beating Colorado 3-2 in Overtime back in early November; however, all the Avs have done since then is win, winning nine straight heading into tonight's game.
The Sharks lines are as follows
Eklund - Celebrini - Smith
Kurashev - Wennberg - Toffoli/Klingberg
Gaudette - Dellandrea - Graf
Goodrow - Ostapchuk - Reaves
Orlov - Liljegren
Ferraro - Mukhamadullin
Dickinson - Desharnais
Askarov
Nedelkjovic
Scratches - Leddy, Iorio, Klingberg/Toffoli
The Sharks may be without Tyler Toffoli tonight, the veteran winger is a game-time decision with an illness. In the event Toffoli is unfit to play, the Sharks will roll 11-7 with Klingberg getting in the lineup.
This would be a significant loss for the Sharks. Toffoli, for his part, has struggled this season; his 43-point pace is below his normal production for his career, but the 33-year-old is still a valuable scorer for a Sharks team that has struggled to generate offense outside of Celebrini and Smith. Still, it is a positive sign that he will likely not be out long-term if he misses any games.
Barring Toffoli, the rest of the Sharks' lineup should remain the same from their last time out, with the Sharks rolling out their three young star forwards together on the top line for a second straight game. All eyes will be on Celebrini as he goes head-to-head against the leading scorer, Nathan Mackinnon. Mackinnon has been unreal this season with 37 points in 22 games and is the clear early frontrunner for the Hart trophy if he continues this play. Celebrini, however, is also emerging as one of the game's biggest stars, and at 19, his 34 points in 23 games put him second in the NHL behind MacKinnon. This should be a fun match-up to keep an eye on.
On defense. Klingberg has played himself as the odd man out on the blueline. If he gets another chance to play here, he needs to show improvement and commitment on the defensive side of the puck, where he has struggled. Other than Klingberg potentially being the 7th D, the Sharks are rolling the identical pairs as last time out. The Sharks also officially recalled Vincent Iorio to the main roster after his conditioning stint with the Barracuda expired. Iorio put up seven assists in 6 games for the Cuda, good numbers for the 23-year-old defender. It will be interesting to see what the Sharks do with Iorio once Skinner and Misa return to the active roster. The Sharks currently have 12 forwards and nine defensemen on the roster. It's possible Ostapchuk could be returned to the AHL for 1 of those spots, but carrying nine defenseman is unlikely to be a sustainable option. The Capitals would likely reclaim Iorio if he were waived, but given the lack of opportunity in San Jose at the moment, it may ultimately be the direction the Sharks go to make room on their roster.
In net, the Sharks are going back to Yaroslav Askarov. The 23-year-old netminder has been excellent for the Sharks and will need to be sharp tonight against one of the league's offensive powerhouses.