SAN JOSE – Forward William Eklund will return to the lineup Saturday when the San Jose Sharks play the New Jersey Devils, in search of their second straight win.
Eklund, who missed 4 games, is tied for second on the Sharks with 27 points in 36 games. San Jose went 1-3-0 in his absence and finished in eighth and final place within the Pacific Division with 30 points entering Saturday.
Eklund will play on a line with center Mikael Granlund and fellow wing Fabian Zetterlund. Granlund, the oldest of the trio at 32, leads the Sharks with 35 points in 39 games.
“Grandpa (Granlund) there can help them a little bit,” Warsofsky said on the road with Eklund, 22, and Zetterlund, 25. “He takes him under their wing. He's helping these two young players who are still trying to figure out how to play consistently in this league, and I think Granlund has done a great job of helping them individually.
“But of course the chemistry between them was good this year. I’ve said it the last few games: We need to get some lines in place here as far as chemistry goes.”
Granlund's production has slowed recently, with three assists in eight games, but Warsofsky said his play has been higher overall.
“Last game he was skating, he was busy playing hockey,” Warsofsky said of Granlund. “He had a difficult task. We want to compete against really good centers and collect points. … He's had a tough job here lately just trying to get his offense going because I think he's so on the defensive side.
“But we have to make it work.”
To create a roster spot for Eklund, the Sharks placed defenseman Jake Walman (lower body injury) on injured reserve.
Walman, who hasn't played since being injured within the Sharks' game against the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 21, skated for the third consecutive day Saturday morning, nevertheless it stays unclear when he’ll give you the option to return. Warsofsky said Walman must complete a full practice before he can play in a game.
Sharks center Nico Sturm, whose appearance against the Devils is taken into account questionable, can be axed. Luke Kunin will take Sturm's place as center on the Sharks' fourth line. Sturm blocked a shot by defenseman Darren Raddysh in the primary period of Thursday's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning and didn’t play on Friday.
Goaltender Yaroslav Askarov will start again for the Sharks after making 24 saves in San Jose's 2-1 win over the Lightning. Since returning to the Sharks on December 18, Askarov is 1-2-1 with a .919 save percentage in 4 games.
Askarov was recalled from the AHL's Barracuda after goalie Vitek Vanecek suffered a fractured cheek on Dec. 17 when he was hit within the face by a puck that flew into the dugout.
The Sharks haven’t won consecutive games since defeating the Seattle Kraken on November thirtieth and the Washington Capitals on December third. Since then, San Jose has a record of 2-10-1, with 4 of those losses coming by one goal in regulation time.
With Walman missing the last five games, Henry Thrun has stepped in with Cody Ceci for the Sharks' top defensive pairing.
During that point, Thrun averaged 19:53 of ice time, playing greater than 21 minutes in three of the last 4 games. Thrun played 21:16 and had 4 shots on goal and two blocked shots in Thursday's win.
“I enjoyed Henry's game against a really talented team, and he'll have another tough task tonight,” Warsofsky said of the talented Devils, led by center Jack Hughes. “But I think his game is since he got out of the lineup there (for three games in mid-December), he's put some games together. He's had some good play and at the NHL level that's what it's all about. You stack your games, and then you might have one where it's your “C” game and you still find a way to be effective.
“So I gave him a lot of credit. Again, a guy who has struggled at times, but as a young defender he's learning. He's doing better. He takes part in the coaching and then you see the results.”
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