The Sharks are gearing up to play the Senators tonight in the first half of a back-to-back homestand; they take on Boston on Sunday.
Ex-Shark and fan favorite Fabian Zetterlund will be returning tonight. Zetterlund has struggled offensively since leaving the Sharks, posting just 9 points and three goals in 40 games with the Senators since the trade. Meanwhile, Zack Ostapchuk, who was a key piece in the return for the young Swede, has also had his struggles, failing to register a point in 16 games with the Sharks, and will be playing his former team in just his 4th game this year.
Ostapchuk has looked solid in his minutes this season for the Sharks; however, drawing in the lineup as the 4th line center due to injury, he has brought speed and physicality to the lineup and will look to spark some of the offense that got him selected in the 2nd round back in 2021 against the team that drafted him tonight.
The Sharks lines are as follows
Kurashev - Celebrini - Smith
Eklund - Wennberg - Toffoli
Gaudette - Dellandrea - Graf
Goodrow - Ostapchuk - Reaves
Orlov - Liljegren
Ferraro - Klingberg
Mukhamadullin - Desharnais
Nedelkjovic
Askarov
Scratches - Dickinson, Leddy, Iorio
The lineup is nearly identical to their last time out against the Kings, when they won 4-3 in a shootout. The only changes are Mukhamadullin drawing in for Dickinson and Nedeljkovic getting the nod in net.
Ostapchuk is not the only Sharks player facing off against their former team. Adam Gaudette is playing the Senators for the first time since signing with the Sharks in free agency. After years in the minors, Gaudette resurrected his career in Ottawa a year ago, scoring 19 goals and has been a solid depth scorer for the Sharks in the bottom-six, netting five goals in 17 games, good for a 23-goal pace per 82 games.
The Sharks have consistently scratched Dickinson on back-to-backs, letting the 19-year-old get some rest as he adjusts to the NHL schedule, a strategy that was used for Will Smith a year ago and seemingly worked wonders for his development in the 2nd half of the year. Dickinson is having a year similar to Will Smith's rookie campaign. The defender has struggled early on in his career, but like Smith, he has looked more assertive each time out. Will Smith broke out against Boston last year. After some rest tonight, perhaps Dickinson can make a similar impact in the lineup Sunday against the Bruins.
In the net, Nedeljkovic will get the nod after Askarov took the last two games. Nedeljkovic has seen his starts decrease in November due to Askarov's stellar play. Still, the veteran has been consistent as well, posting a 2.97 GAA and a 902% save percentage—respectable numbers given the Sharks' tendency to leave their netminders out to dry.
Riding a 2-game win streak, the Sharks have a chance to rack up some points this weekend and make a push up the standings. First, they will need to take down a young and exciting Senators team tonight.