San Jose Sharks
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-GrundstromWalman-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-AmadioSanderson-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.
Happy Thanksgiving to all the Sharks faithful!
It’ll be interesting to see when Askarov has a full time NHL job. I think management has a strong preference to keep Blackwood over Vanecek. He is a very popular guy in that room. But he’s cheaper, and playing better hockey. Much easier to move. The question is, will they move him? Given how well he fits, it makes sense to extend him for a year or two to platoon with Askarov as he develops. Then, of course, Grier is faced with trying to find a taker for Vanecek if he wants to clear room for Askarov. There may or… Read more »
All depends on if Blackwood actually wants to stay thru the rebuild or move on to a team that’s more of an immediate playoff threat. There’s going to be a few playoff teams re-evaluating their goaltending next off season.
Take a good look at the top 2 Centers for the Sens, both are gifts from the EK65 trade. Would love to peek into the parallel universe where the EK65 trade never happens & the Sharks still have Norris & that 2020 pick. That pick could still have been Stützle. If it was, the Center depth for the Sharks during the previous 4 years would have been outstanding: Cooch, Hertl, Norris & Stützle. Would have likely still been a contending team, but alas DW sold the farm to land EK65 and the Sharks are just now starting to come out… Read more »
I prefer Celly over all those centers.
I have said that the saddest day in Sharks history was when Tavaras signed with Toronto instead of the Sharks. I think that made DW so upset that he sold the farm to get EK65 and that ruined the team. However what we can look forward to is a great team moving forward with the prospects they have built.
I will disagree with that view until the end of time. That team was a torn groin away from winning the cup that year. Best sharks team so far and it’s not close. HOFer at 3C, highest scoring sharks roster ever… they stay healthy and get thru the headshot parade of the The Blues and they win their first Cup. I have no doubt.
Yeah, I was a big fan of Norris, and sad to see him go! And while it felt like DW pressed a bit, that team was strong willed! And while might said different, I think you are spot on, with this take. Often feel that Blues series is why Hockey obfuscates injuries.
Agreed, had Martin Jones been even an average goaler in 2019 Sharkies are at least in the final. EK65 was worth it. Josh Norris was not a lock at that time and noone expected the Sharkies to suck so bad that a Stützle would be available at the draft for Ottowa. Had the Sharkies not gotten EK65 then he would have almost 100% gone to Las Vegas and with EK65 that Las Vegas team would have cruised to a cup in 2019.
Askarov apparently went to the Alex Stalock School of puck handling. Always an adventure.
Still, same as with Macklin, now’s the time in his career to try things. Can’t learn if you don’t take risks or push limits.