Short one today to give all you wonderful Sharks fans a place to talk during this afternoon game.
The big news is that William Eklund is ready to make his Sharks debut this season. David Quinn says Eklund will get a long look. However, I would guess that look does not last longer than eight games since General Manager Mike Grier said Eklund’s Entry Level Contract could slide a year if he plays fewer than nine games.
Grier says Eklund’s ELC can “slide” again if he plays 9 NHL games or fewer — so my guess, we just see him for a cup of coffee this year, albeit a long one
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) March 3, 2023
The Washington Capitals last played on Wednesday, so the team is plenty rested.
San Jose Sharks
STATS
Record: 18-32-12
Streak: L4
Goals Leader: Logan Couture (21 G, 29 A)
Assists Leader: Erik Karlsson (19 G, 59 A)
Power Play: 18.3%
Penalty Kill: 83.1%
Goals For/60: 2.94
Goals Against/60: 3.65
LINES
Fabian Zetterlund – Tomas Hertl – Andreas Johnsson
Kevin Labanc – Logan Couture – Alexander Barabanov
Noah Gregor – Nico Sturm – Evgeny Svechnikov
William Eklund – Steven Lorentz – Oskar Lindblom
Mario Ferraro – Erik Karlsson
Marc-Edouard Vlasic – Matt Benning
Radim Simek – Jacob MacDonald
Kaapo Kahkonen
James Reimer
Expected Scratches: Nick Cicek
Injured Reserve: Luke Kunin (knee), Markus Nutivaara (lower body), Jonah Gadjovich (upper body)
Washington Capitals
STATS
Record: 18-32-12
Streak: L4
Goals Leader: Alex Ovechkin (33 G, 24 A)
Assists Leader: Evgeny Kuznetsov (11 G, 39 A)
Power Play: 20.9%
Penalty Kill: 82.4%
Goals For/60: 3.02
Goals Against/60: 2.97
LINES
Alex Ovechkin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson
Anthony Mantha — Nicklas Backstrom — Craig Smith
Sonny Milano — Dylan Strome — T.J. Oshie
Conor Sheary — Nic Dowd — Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Martin Fehervary — Nick Jensen
Rasmus Sandin — Trevor van Riemsdyk
Matt Irwin — Alexander Alexeyev
Darcy Kuemper
Charlie Lindgren
Expected Scratches: None
Injured Reserve: John Carlson (head), Carl Hagelin (hip), Connor Brown (knee)
How to watch
Today’s game will be broadcast regionally on NBCSCA. Streaming is available with a subscription to ESPN+ (blackout restrictions may apply). The radio call will be streamed through the Sharks Audio Network. Puck drop is 3:00 p.m. PT/6:00 p.m. ET at SAP Center in San Jose.
In Washington, you can watch on NBCSW. You can also live stream on the team’s webpage or listen through the MyTeams app.
Check back then to follow along with all of the play-by-play action in the comment section below!