Preview/Lines #69: Why Goodrow & Dellandrea Are Line-Up Fixtures? Vlasic Injured

What’s set Barclay Goodrow and Ty Dellandrea apart in the San Jose Sharks’ bottom-six?

It’s been a revolving door, especially at wing, in the Sharks’ bottom-six, especially since the Trade Deadline.

Goodrow and Dellandrea have been line-up fixtures, but otherwise, Noah Gregor, Carl Grundstrom, Klim Kostin, and Nikolai Kovalenko have alternated between two or three spots.

Tonight, it’s Kovalenko and Grundstrom in for Gregor and Kostin.

Notably, Kovalenko, Kostin, and Gregor are pending RFAs. Grundstrom is signed for one more year at $1.8 million AAV.

Here’s how San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky sees it.

“That big word, consistency,” he said. “Can you trust them at the end of the day?”

That’s as much a compliment to Goodrow and Dellandrea, as it is a challenge to the other wingers.

“Are you playing towards your identity? Really what it comes down to,” Warsofsky mused.

Part of that is knowing your NHL identity, which a skilled rookie like Kovalenko is still struggling with.

It’s also not just about offensive production, which players don’t always fully understand.

“In any league, guys think they’re judged on goals and assists. And I get that, there is a value to that,” Warsofsky said, emphatically. “Your contract at the end, when you’re a free agent, that’s what a lot of people look at are the numbers.”

But that’s not what Warsofsky cares about, especially in his bottom-six.

“From a coaching standpoint, for us to start winning hockey games and putting foundational habits in for us to win in the future, usually doesn’t come down to goals and assists for those guys in those roles,” he stressed.

Habits like?

“How do we impact the game in different ways? Is that details in defensive zone? Is that blocking a shot? Is that taking a hit? Is that making a hit?

“It’s are they responsible without the puck? Are they responsible with the puck? Are they a good teammate? Do they put their body on the line?

“There’s all different instances that they can jump each other as far as being in the line-up.”

It’s certainly not a question of talent: Kovalenko is a truly clever playmaker, Gregor is the fastest Shark, Kostin’s size-skill package can be breathtaking, and Grundstrom is a shooting machine.

But it’s about other stuff, not just their A-games, but what they can bring when they don’t have their A-games.

“It’s usually the details,” Warsofsky said. “All those things that are winning habits is what usually those bottom-six type of role players, why they carve out a role for themselves in the National Hockey League, nine, 10, 11, years, the Andrew Coglianos, you go down the list of guys that are in those roles, in the third and fourth lines, usually there’s not a big separation of what makes them and keeps them in the league.”

San Jose Sharks (18-41-9)

Georgi Romanov will start, his first NHL start.

Of course, Luca Cagnoni will make his NHL debut:

Cagnoni's parents and sister are here in San Jose for his NHL debut. He's got other friends and family here too, a little less than a dozen.

His roommates Jake Furlong and Braden Hache will be there too, and I bet a few more Barracuda teammates

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) March 20, 2025

Jimmy Schuldt, just recalled on Wednesday, will slide in for Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Vlasic has suffered a flare-up of the upper-body injury that felled him for the first half of the season.

Here are projected lines:

Graf-Celebrini-Toffoli
Eklund-Wennberg-Smith
Dellandrea-Giles-Kovalenko
Grundstrom-Ostapchuk-Goodrow

Ferraro-Mukhamadullin
Schuldt-Liljegren
Cagnoni-Desharnais

Romanov

“It’s the same thing he’s been dealing with since training camp,” Warsofsky said of Vlasic, who didn’t make his season debut until January. “He’s been trying to play through it, and it got to the point just after practice yesterday, just a little bit too much.”

Vlasic is still being evaluated, and the Sharks should have a better idea about the extent of his injury on Friday.

Carolina Hurricanes (41-22-4)

Frederik Andersen will start.

Rod Brind'Amour says Dmitry Orlov will likely return to the lineup tonight after missing five games due to an upper-body injury.

Andrei Svechnikov (upper-body injury) traveled with the team, but is doubtful to play as the #Canes try to move their win streak to eight in San Jose. pic.twitter.com/laa9DLiQMy

— Walt Ruff (@WaltRuff) March 20, 2025

PP1: Gostisbehere, Aho, Hall, Blake, Jarvis

PP2: Burns, Walker, Roslovic, Kotkaniemi, Stankoven

— Ryan Henkel (@RyanHenkel_) March 19, 2025

Where To Watch

Puck drop between the San Jose Sharks and Carolina Hurricanes is 7:30 PM PT at SAP Center. Watch it live on NBC Sports California. Listen to it on the Sharks Audio Network.