Sharks Bringing New Systems To Calgary Against Flames
San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (71) passes the puck away from defensive pressure by Calgary Flames right winger Matt Coronato (27) during the third period at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn ImagesAlexandar Georgiev will start the first game after the 4 Nations Face-Off break for the San Jose Sharks against the Calgary Flames.
Walker Duehr will also be in the lineup against his former team. San Jose claimed the big winger off waivers in January.
Alexander Wennberg and Nico Sturm return from injuries and give the Sharks much-needed depth down the middle following Mikael Granlund's trade to the Dallas Stars.
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San Jose hasn't played since their 8-3 drubbing against the Stars on Feb. 8. Head coach Ryan Warsofsky said the first ten minutes of tonight's game are critical.
"We have to work extremely hard as them. Compete hard, and we have to get our legs into the game," Warsofsky said. "Obviously [both teams] have been off for a while, so I would say both coaches are probably saying the same thing.
"Get your legs into it. Get some bumps, you know, let's make sure we know what we're doing with pucks and our execution, and get into the game early and get a high level of focus."
Calgary is surprisingly fighting for a playoff spot this season when the general feeling around the league was that this would be a rebuilding squad.
The Flames are three points behind the Vancouver Canucks for the second and final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.
Warsofsky said San Jose has implemented some new systems into their defensive game and will show them off on Sunday.
"The big thing will be getting numbers around the puck through the defensive and neutral zone. We're hopeful we'll have more numbers around pucks, so if there is a breakdown, we have layered support," Warsofsky explained. "That's been a big emphasis. That's something that we'll look into tonight."