Morning skate: Sharks' Martin returns to blue line vs. Hurricanes

Share

Editor's Note: The above video is from a postgame media session with Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015.

Programming note 
Sharks-Hurricanes coverage gets underway at 7:00 p.m. with Sharks Pregame Live on CSN California

Where they stand
Sharks: 4-3-0, 8 points, 2nd Pacific Division
Hurricanes: 2-5-0, 4 points, 7th Metropolitan Division

The latest

Sharks: Playing just their second game at home, the Sharks dropped a 4-1 decision to Los Angeles in the first of a four-game homestand. San Jose has lost three straight games in regulation and been outscored 14-4 over that span, after starting the season with four straight victories.

Hurricanes: Carolina will be playing the second of a back-to-back tonight, losing to the Kings at Staples Center on Friday, 3-0, despite directing 40 shots on goal towards Jonathan Quick. Tonight will be the fifth of a seven-game road trip for the Canes.

Probable lines

Sharks
Matt Nieto – Joe Thornton – Joe Pavelski
Patrick Marleau – Tomas Hertl – Joel Ward
Barclay Goodrow – Chris Tierney – Tommy Wingels
John McCarthy – Bryan Lerg – Mike Brown

Marc-Edouard Vlasic – Justin Braun
Paul Martin – Brent Burns
Brenden Dillon – Matt Tennyson

Martin Jones (confirmed starter)
Alex Stalock

Hurricanes
Brock McGinn – Eric Staal – Kris Versteeg
Nathan Gerbe – Jordan Staal – Andrej Nestrasil
Jeff Skinner – Victor Rask – Elias Lindholm
Brad Malone – Jay McClement – Chris Terry

Ron Hainsey – Justin Faulk
John-Michael Liles – Michal Jordan
Noah Hanifin – Ryan Murphy

Eddie Lack (confirmed starter)
Cam Ward

Vitals

Sharks
Goals per game: 2.43 (T – 17th)
Goals-against per game: 2.29 (T – 9th)
Power play: 12.5 percent (24th)
Penalty kill: 80.0 percent (19th)

Hurricanes
Goals per game: 1.71 (T – 27th)
Goals-against per game: 2.86 (T – 23rd)
Power play: 6.9 percent (29th)
Penalty kill: 76.5 percent (24th)

Keep an eye on…

Sharks: Paul Martin. The Sharks have sorely missed the veteran defenseman in the last three games, both at even strength and on the penalty kill. The 34-year-old will return to the lineup tonight with partner Brent Burns, as the Sharks will attempt to shut down a weak Carolina team.

Hurricanes: Noah Hanifin. The fifth overall pick in the 2015 draft, the six-foot-three, 206-pound defenseman has one assist in his first six career games. He is the only blueliner from last summer’s draft to make his team out of training camp.

Injuries/Scratches

Sharks: Joonas Donskoi (lower body), Ben Smith (head) and Logan Couture (fractured right fibula) are out.

Hurricanes: Joakin Nordstrom (undisclosed) is day-to-day. Ruley Nash (shoulder) and James Wisniewski (torn ACL) are out.

Season series

The Sharks visit Carolina on Feb. 19.

Odds and ends

*The Sharks reassigned forward Micheal Haley to the AHL on Friday. John McCarthy was recalled from the Barracuda on Saturday morning.

Contact Us