The San Jose Sharks head to Denver to face the Colorado Avalanche in their final game of 2023.
The San Jose Sharks (9-24-3) head to Denver to face the Colorado Avalanche (22-11-3) in their final game of 2023.
On Dec. 17, the Avs beat the Sharks 6-2 behind Nathan MacKinnon's four-point night.
San Jose is getting reinforcements for this matchup. Mackenzie Blackwood is expected to return from an illness and will be the backup. Ty Emberson was activated from IR before today's game. He hasn't played since Dec. 1 against the New Jersey Devils.
He was injured during the morning skate before the Sharks faced the New York Rangers.
Sharks head coach David Quinn confirmed that Emberson will play tonight. Kyle Burroughs will be a healthy scratch to make room.
Emberson had been paired with Mario Ferraro before his injury. That pair had been one of the better defensive pairs in the entire NHL. Quinn confirmed that this will be a pair tonight.
"Emberson might have been our best defenseman before he got hurt," Quinn said.
Quinn confirmed Kaapo Kahkonen will start for the Sharks.
Regarding how San Jose can win tonight, Quinn wanted to ensure his team played aggressively.
"We have to be able to play in-your-face hockey without taking penalties," Quinn explained.
Sharks projected line combinations:
Eklund-Hertl-Zadina
Zetterlund-Granlund-Hoffman
Kunin-Studnicka-Duclair
Bailey-Carpenter-Barabanov
Ferraro-Emberson
Thrun-Rutta
Okhotiuk-Addison
Kahkonen
Blackwood
Quinn gave some inquiry into some line changes. Mike Hoffman was skating with Mikael Granlund yesterday.
Puck drop is at 5 p.m. PST and can be seen on NBC Sports California or the Sharks Audio Network.
The Hockey News