The Sharks are taking on the Seattle Kraken tonight as they look to finish off their 3-game homestand with a win. The Kraken are on a woeful stretch, having won just 1 of their last 10 games. While the Sharks recently had their 3-game win streak snapped by the Dallas Stars, their last time out.
The Sharks have been playing excellent hockey as of late. They dominated the Calgary Flames, and despite losing to the Stars, they played excellent against one of the league's best teams. They will look to wrap up the season series against the Kraken, which has seen both teams get a victory.
The Sharks' lines tonight are as follows.
Graf - Celebrini - Chernyshov
Eklund - Wennberg - Toffoli
Skinner - Dellandrea - Gaudette
Goodrow - Ostapchuk - Reaves
Orlov - Klingberg
Ferraro - Mukhamadullin
Dickinson - Iorio
Askarov
Scratches: Liljegren, Leddy, Cardwell
Upfront, the only change from Thursday is Skinner getting back in for Cardwell. The veteran winger has had an up-and-down season, which has seen him completely cool off from a hot start. Skinner provides little value when he is not scoring, and he has struggled to do so for the Sharks, with just 3 points in his last 18 games. As for Cardwell, the recent call-up struggled against Dallas and will have to wait for his next opportunity.
On the backend, the biggest change is Liljegren coming out for Dickinson. Iorio was supposed to be a healthy scratch today, but Liljegren sustained an injury during practice and will be out tonight. Warsofsky recently praised Iorio, saying his game against Calgary was the best he played as a Shark. The young defender hasn't had much opportunity to show what he can do in a crowded backend, but he has started to get more comfortable since he returned from his AHL conditioning stint. As for Dickinson, he comes back in after a couple of games off. The Sharks have been very patient with the defender, but he is starting to get more ice time, recently crossing 17 minutes for the first time this season.
Askarov is back in the crease tonight, after Nedeljkovic got the start the last time out.
With the Sharks in the thick of the playoff race, games are starting to feel more crucial; a win over a team lower in the standings is starting to feel more mandatory at this point in the year.