Preview/Lines #6: Sharks Aren’t THIS Bad

NEW YORK – I don’t think the San Jose Sharks are this bad.

Sure, the stats are ugly. Five straight losses out of the gate, franchise-worst start to a season. Outscored 12-2 in second periods, 6-0 in third periods so far this year.

But Timo Meier, Tomas Hertl, and Logan Couture have to get going soon, right? Meier has just one assist through five games. Hertl just one goal. Couture, a goal and an assist.

I mean, Nico Sturm and Evgeny Svechnikov, who both have two goals apiece, can’t lead the Sharks in scoring all season, right? Right?

Bringing up Sturm, and perhaps even Svechnikov, this might be also a bright spot, looking ahead.

In Sturm, at least, the Sharks have appeared to solve their fourth-line center problem. From Jasper Weatherby to Scott Reedy to Lane Pederson, San Jose went through a host of young, perhaps not ready centermen last season.

When the Sharks stars start rolling, suddenly, your overall depth looks better because you have a rock-solid bottom-six forward slotted in the right place, finally. They might even have the potential of a playoff-caliber fourth line in David Quinn’s training camp conception of Sturm centering Steven Lorentz and Matt Nieto, if they can find more answers for their top-nine.

Anyway, I’ll stop. I’m looking too hard for silver linings for 0-5-0, I’m not David Quinn! But forward depth still has an outside chance of being a strength (or at least, not a weakness) of the Sharks for the first time in years.

San Jose Sharks (0-5-0)

David Quinn says that James Reimer will start, but he was coy about a couple game-time decisions.

This is how they skated yesterday, my guess is Kevin Labanc, Noah Gregor, and Scott Harrington are scratched.

Changes tomorrow for #SJSharks? Top line restored, Bonino to wing, Labanc scratched? Benning, Harrington & Vlasic have alternated

Meier-Hertl-Barabanov
Bonino-Couture-Kunin
Gadjovich-Sturm-Svechnikov
Nieto-Lorentz-Lindblom

Megna-Karlsson
Harrington-Benning-Vlasic
Ferraro-Simek

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) October 19, 2022

New York Rangers (3-1-0)

Line rushes now. First combos look like this:

Kreider – Zib – Kakko
Panarin – Trocheck – Laf
Blais – Chytil – Goodrow
Vesey – Carpenter – Reaves

Guessing that’s what we’ll see tomorrow. #NYR

— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) October 19, 2022

Igor Shesterkin is expected to start.

Where to Watch

The San Jose Sharks will take on the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden at 4:00 PM PST. Watch it live on NBC Sports California. Listen to it on the Sharks Audio Network.