Playoff Watch/Lines #46: Lehner Calls Out NHL, Boughner on Kořenář’s Improvement

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — The sixth-place San Jose Sharks, surprisingly, are still four points behind Arizona for the fourth-and-final playoff spot in the West. Well, not that surprising – since April 3rd, when San Jose clawed its way to a point out, the Sharks are 1-6-1, the fifth-place Blues are 3-3-0, and the Coyotes are 3-6-0. The Indy 500, this ain’t. Arizona hosts Minnesota this evening, while St. Louis is idle.

San Jose Sharks (18-22-5)

Josef Kořenář gets the nod in net tonight, no other projected changes for the #SJSharks.

Make sure you are following along—>https://t.co/wmyWBQRpjm pic.twitter.com/mWgaYpa4zW

— Locked on Karlsson's Apple (@LockedOnSharks) April 21, 2021

Vegas Golden Knights (32-11-2)

Some notes from Golden Knights morning skate today at CNA:

– Fleury first off the ice, likely to start tonight vs San Jose
– Reilly Smith, Keegan Kolesar not available, per DeBoer
– Dylan Sikura likely to make his VGK debut
– Gold sweaters#VegasBorn

— Vince Sapienza (@VinceSapienza) April 21, 2021

Where to Watch

Puck drop is 6:30 PM PT at T-Mobile Arena. Watch it on NBC Sports Network, AT&T Sportsnet, or NHL.tv.

Morning Skate

Josef Korenar will get the first road start of his NHL career tonight.

“We said we wanted to put him in some games, give him a road start,” San Jose Sharks head coach Bob Boughner said. “It’s gonna be a good test for our whole team and Josef himself.”

For what it’s worth, Boughner saw a lot of improvement in Korenar during Saturday’s relief appearance in Minnesota, compared to the rookie’s first NHL start against Anaheim on Apr. 14. Korenar stopped all four shots that he faced after coming in for Martin Jones versus the Wild; he stopped 23 of 27 in the 4-1 loss to the Ducks.

“I thought it was real good. I thought that he made the saves that he had to make,” Boughner said on Saturday. “I thought he moved well and played well. If I just took a snapshot of that one period he just played, I think it’s much better than the game he just came out, his first [start]. I see probably his nerves are a lot better and he’s playing more himself.”

The San Jose Sharks would probably like to see Matt Nieto moving well again. Nieto has been sidelined for over a month with an unspecified lower-body injury.

Will the winger even return this season? Nieto is, per Boughner, skating in San Jose, with an outside shot of playing next week. But it sounds like a really outside shot.

Boughner admitted: “It might be a marginal call whether he goes back in or not [this season].”

I had a lot more thoughts about the bad Patrick Marleau narratives out there than I realized –> https://t.co/vASGuFCF5e

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) April 21, 2021

Were the Golden Knights TOO nice to Marleau last night? I chat about that here with @Bischoff_Tyler & @edgraney –> https://t.co/E8T85EerjW

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) April 20, 2021

Around the NHL

Carey Price will miss at least a week with a concussion, while the OHL will be out until next season. Meanwhile, Robin Lehner had other things on his mind:

Here's a portion of Robin Lehner's 11-minute bashing of the NHL for not adjusting its COVID protocols after players were vaccinated and prioritizing "competitive edge" over players' mental health. (edited by @HeidiFang) pic.twitter.com/IBzrO7pMva

— David Schoen 🗞🏒 (@DavidSchoenLVRJ) April 21, 2021

As I’m frustrated like a lot of people in the world right now everything didn’t come out of today’s press in the right way. Main point is that we need to start take the mental health important as well In this situation. It has a huge impact on everyone in society right now.

— Robin Lehner (@RobinLehner) April 21, 2021

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly responding by email to Robin Lehner's comments : "I respect Robin’s views and feelings.  It’s a tough situation.  Having said that, I reject  the assertion that any promises were ever made on Protocol changes related to Player vaccination."

— David Schoen 🗞🏒 (@DavidSchoenLVRJ) April 21, 2021

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