Preview/Lines #25: Granlund Out Again, Warsofsky Explains Sending Askarov Down

Mikael Granlund is back at practice, but he won’t play on Wednesday night.

This will be the San Jose Sharks’ leading scorer’s second-straight missed game.

Head coach Ryan Warsofsky labeled it a day-to-day upper-body injury.

Granlund missed practice on Sunday, which Warsofsky called a maintenance day. On Monday, he missed San Jose’s 7-2 rout over the Los Angeles Kings.

So it’s good to see him back at morning skate, though not as a full participant.

This should bode well for a quick return.

San Jose Sharks (7-12-5)

Mackenzie Blackwood will start.

#TheFutureIsTeal lines at morning skate, Granlund is on the ice, but he didn't participate:

Eklund-Celebrini-Zetterlund
Kunin-Wennberg-Toffoli
Goodrow-Sturm-W. Smith
Kostin-Dellandrea-Grundstrom

Walman-Ceci
Ferraro-Liljegren
Thrun-Rutta

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 27, 2024

#SJSharks power play groups —

PP1: Walman-Celebrini-Eklund-Toffoli-Wennberg
PP2: Liljegren-Zetterlund-W. Smith-Kunin-Goodrow

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 27, 2024

Warsofsky also explained sending top prospect Yaroslav Askarov down, beyond having two healthy veteran goalies Mackenzie Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek back on the roster.

“He’s a guy that can play the puck [but] there’s time to do it, there’s times not to do it. So he’ll learn that,” Warsofsky said, laughing.

He added: “The timing and the speed of the game in the National Hockey League is a lot quicker than the American League, so he just has to continue to be confident down there. You know, make the big saves when he needs to, and make the easy ones look easy.”

That said, Askarov earned the Sharks three of four possible points in his time here and registered a sparkling .927 Save %.

“We were really pleased what he did in the two games,” Warsofsky said.

Ottawa Senators (9-11-1)

TSN 1200 projects Linus Ullmark to start.

Sens lines from the morning skate.
(No Cousins)

Tkachuk-Stützle-Gaudette
Giroux-Norris-Batherson
Reinhardt-Pinto-Greig
Gregor-Ostapchuk-Amadio

Sanderson-Hamonic
Chabot-JBD
Kleven-Jensen
Sebrango

— TSN 1200 Ottawa (@TSN1200) November 27, 2024

Where To Watch

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