The San Jose Sharks are in Canada tonight to face the Edmonton Oilers in the second to last game of the season.
The San Jose Sharks (19-52-9) are in Canada tonight to face the Edmonton Oilers (48-25-6) in the second to last game of the season.
San Jose and Edmonton haven't played each other since December 28th, when the Oilers beat the Sharks 5-0.
Magnus Chrona got his first NHL start in this game and was chased after giving up four goals in the first period. Sharks head coach David Quinn wasn't happy with the team's performance in front of their young netminder.
As for tonight's game, the Oilers have a chance at winning the Pacific Division, although the number for the Vancouver Canucks to clinch is one.
Connor McDavid hasn't played since April 6th because of a lower-body injury, but he confirmed to Edmonton reporters that he is returning to the lineup tonight.
The superstar has 130 points, including 99 assists. If he gets his 100th assist tonight, he will be the first player since Wayne Gretzky in the 1990-91 season to achieve that milestone. The Great One had 122 assists that season, the fourth-most all-time.
San Jose recalled three prospects yesterday: Danil Gushchin, Jack Thompson, and Georgi Romanov.
Devin Cooley told reporters last Saturday that he hoped to start tonight's game, and coach Quinn confirmed that.
Jack Thompson will play his first game with the Sharks and told reporters he is paired with Marc-Edouard Vlasic on defense. Thompson played one game in the NHL with the Tampa Bay Lightning this season on January 6th.
"Just go out there and try my best," Thompson said about what he wants to do tonight. "Learn from these coaches. They're great coaches here. Just listen to what they have to tell me and go out there and work as hard as I can and do the right things."
Danil Gushchin will also play in tonight's lineup, and Givani Smith will also enter. Jan Rutta, Justin Bailey, and Kevin Labanc will be scratched.
Sharks projected line combinations:
Eklund-Granlund-Zetterlund
Graf-Kunin-Kostin
Bordeleau-Studnicka-Gushchin
Smith-Sturm-Carpenter
Ferraro-Burroughs
Vlasic-Thompson
Thrun-Addison
Cooley
Romanov
Puck drop is at 6:30 p.m. and can be seen on NBC Sports California or the Sharks Audio Network.
Make sure you bookmark THN's San Jose Sharks site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.
- Follow Max on Twitter: @Real_Max_Miller
The Hockey News