Preview/Lines #71: Gregor Pulled Back on Potentially Devastating Hit

Even though Noah Gregor was penalized, he did the right thing.

On Mar. 11, the San Jose Sharks took on the Minnesota Wild. At the end of the first period, Gregor had a chance to finish a check on Alex Goligoski hard.

It looked to me, however, that Gregor held up. To me, Gregor did exactly what I think the NHL is encouraging players to do, which is to identify, best they can in this high-octane sport, when other players are in a vulnerable position.

“Once I realized he went in the wrong way, I let up,” said Gregor. “It was a tough play. I didn’t feel like I was going to hammer [Goligoski].”

For his efforts, Gregor was still penalized.

San Jose Sharks head coach David Quinn, who has been in hot water recently with officials, declined to comment, though he did note that “Noah made the right decision.”

“In my situation right now, about refereeing, I’m gonna pass on anything we talk about when it comes to the referees,” he joked. “I’m building a house in Westerly, Rhode Island, so I gotta be careful.”

Quinn Loses It on Ref, ‘Embarrassed’ by His Own Behavior

“It’s always hard to gauge those plays, going in hard on the forecheck, because guys get hurt a lot that way,” Gregor mused. “It’s probably still a penalty, but I don’t think I was looking to hammer him, and I don’t think I really did.”

SAN JOSE SHARKS (19-37-14 )

James Reimer will start, his first game since declining to wear the Pride jersey on Sharks Pride Night.

Andrew Agozzino, 32, will make his Sharks debut, after getting recalled yesterday. Quinn says he’ll line up with Steven Lorentz and Oskar Lindblom.

Svechnikov is not with #SJSharks now, Quinn did hint that his lower-body injury would keep him out for a while. Simek, Gadjovich, MacDonald, all in no-contact orange recently, did travel

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) March 20, 2023

EDMONTON OILERS (39-23-8)

Oilers projected lineup vs. San Jose:

Kane – McDavid – Hyman
RNH – Draisaitl – Yamamoto
Foegele – Bjugstad – Janmark
Kostin – Shore – Ryan

Nurse – Ceci
Ekholm – Bouchard
Kulak – Desharnais

Campbell#Oilers

— Tony Brar (@TonyBrarOTV) March 20, 2023

WHERE TO WATCH

The San Jose Sharks will take on the Edmonton Oilers at 6:30 PM PST at Rogers Place. Watch it live on NBC Sports California. Listen to it on the Sharks Audio Network.