With the Olympics in the rear-view mirror, the Sharks are gearing up for their first game in 3 weeks tonight against the Calgary Flames. Currently on a 4-game skid, the Sharks sit 5 points out of a playoff spot with 2 games in hand on the majority of the conference. While the games in hand can theoretically get the Sharks back in the race, they will need to capitalize on them, especially against one of the worst teams in the league, the Flames.Â
The Sharks' projected lines are as follows.Â
Sherwood - Celebrini - Smith
Eklund - Misa - Toffoli
Graf - Wennberg - Kurashev
Goodrow - Ostapchuk - Reaves
Orlov - Klingberg
Ferraro - Liljegren
Dickinson - Desharnais
Askarov
Scratched: Gaudette, Regenda, Mukhamadullin
Celebrini won’t be given any rest after playing the entire Olympics, and when he returned to practice the other day, he will jump right back in on the top line. Not surprisingly, it will be interesting to see how much wear and tear he shows after an intense environment at the Olympics. He will be playing with Smith and Sherwood, who will finally be playing his 2nd game with the Sharks after debuting before the break.Â
One player who wants to play better in the 2nd half is William Eklund. Eklund has had an unfortunate run in with injuries hampering him both in the offseason and during the season, that one can imagine has played a role in his inconsistency this season. The Sharks will need strong play from him if they want to make that push for the playoffs, and a strong second half could get Eklund back on track as a core piece of this team.
On defense, the Sharks are going with their normal pairings. Mukhamadullin draws out, which, while not the best for his development, it is hard to put him in over anybody at this time. This could change if the Sharks make a move or two in the coming days with any of their pending UFA defenseman.
Askarov gets the net. It has been an inconsistent season for Askarov; hopefully, the 3-week reset will help him rediscover at least some of his November success and could be the biggest wild card for the Sharks.
While the Olympics were awesome to watch, it is great to get back to regular NHL hockey, and it will be fun to see how the Sharks do down the stretch, still very much in the race as we are in the final 2 months of the season.