Game #74: Ducks vs. Sharks Gameday Preview
Oct 22, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; San Jose Sharks left wing William Eklund (72) moves the puck against Anaheim Ducks center Isac Lundestrom (21) during the third period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn ImagesThe Ducks are looking to get back in the column against Macklin Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks. This is Celebrini’s first time facing the Ducks after he missed the previous matchups this season due to injury.
The Ducks are coming off a 3-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday while the Sharks are coming off an 8-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday.
“(Celebrini is) a dynamic player,” Ducks head coach Greg Cronin said. “We do a lot of crossover on the pre-scouts, he’s extremely competitive. He’s got it built in, second and third effort. So, what he might lack in length and size, he makes up for with his compete.
“He’s a rare player in a sense that he sees the ice at a 360° view. So, before he even arrives at a puck battle, he knows what his options are, which is really hard to do for a young kid. But he's got that innate ability to see everything. He’s gonna be a really good player.”
Mar 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (71) warms up prior to the game against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn ImagesCutter Gauthier has played against Celebrini before, when both were playing collegiate hockey at Boston College and Boston University, respectively, last season.
“He kind of does it all,” Gauthier said. “He plays a really good defensive game as a younger player, you don't see that too often. He’s a threat every time he's on the ice and we’ve gotta be aware of that tonight.”
“He’s a shooter,” Celebrini said of Gauthier. “He can shoot and he led the nation in goals last year, so he can score as well.”
“We haven't played (the Sharks) in a while, so it'll be a fun test,” Gauthier said. “It’s a little bit of a rivalry there, because we play them so many times with training camp and all those things. They’re a good young team, kind of similar to us. We’ve just got to continue to build on the stuff we've been working on, playing fast, playing physical and getting pucks to the net.”
After missing Sunday's game due to a lower-body injury, defenseman Jacob Trouba is expected to be in the lineup. Troy Terry, who left Sunday's game after colliding with Frank Vatrano, is also expected to be in the lineup.
Ducks Projected Lines
Cutter Gauthier - Leo Carlsson - Alex Killorn
Frank Vatrano - Ryan Strome - Troy Terry
Trevor Zegras - Mason McTavish - Sam Colangelo
Nikita Nesterenko - Isac Lundeström - Jansen Harkins
Jackson LaCombe - Radko Gudas
Olen Zellweger - Jacob Trouba
Pavel Mintyukov - Drew Helleson
Lukáš Dostál (protected)
Sharks Projected Lines
Tyler Toffoli - Macklin Celebrini - Will Smith
William Eklund - Alex Wennberg - Cam Lund
Carl Grundström - Ty Dellandrea - Collin Graf
Noah Gregor - Zach Ostapchuk - Barclay Goodrow
Mario Ferraro - Shakir Mukhamadulin
Marc-Édouard Vlasic- Jack Thompson
Lucas Carlsson - Timothy Liljegren
Alexander Georgiev (confirmed)