Hockey season returns as the San Jose Sharks take on the Vegas Golden Knights at 5 p.m.
San Jose Sharks hockey returns tonight as they take on the Vegas Golden Knights in the SAP Center at 5 p.m.
Tonight's lineup will combine veterans and young players vying for a spot on the NHL roster.
Projected lines:
Hoffman-Hertl-Zadina
Duclair-Bordeleau-Barabanov
Wiesblatt-Robins-Gushchin
Todd-Cassels-Smith
Thrun-Rutta
Okhotiuk-Burroughs
Furlong-Laroque
Kahkonen
Chrona
Matt Benning was originally in the lineup, but the team announced that Gannon Larouque would play tonight in his place.
Ozzy Wiesblatt was the Sharks' first-round pick in 2020. Towards the end of his season with the San Jose Barracuda, Wiesblatt seemed to gain some confidence.
Head coach David Quinn talked about what he wanted to see out of the winger tonight.
"[To] continue to play with that tenacity he's played with," Quinn said. "He's had a good camp. He's a hound. He gets on pucks. He's fearless and tenacious, and you just got to continue to play that way, and he's got enough skill to complement that."
Wiesblatt feels he is ready to take the next step in his development.
"I think last year was a really good learning curve for me," Wiesblatt said. "Just to be around pro hockey players and playing against that level of competition every day, and I'm just kind of getting used to it."
Wiesblatt has always been a physical player. In practice yesterday, he knocked down Nick Cicek with a loud check along the boards.
"We're actually roommates. So I slept with one eye open last night," Wiesblatt said. "Everybody is a competitor here, and you want to make each other better. One of the goals is to be a more competitive team. I love the physical game, and I love when people get emotional and things like that, so I think it brings us together, if anything."
The San Jose Sharks will be streaming the game on the team website. The game will also be available via the Sharks Audio Network.
