The San Jose Sharks head back on the road to face the Arizona Coyotes for the first time this season.

The San Jose Sharks head back on the road to face the Arizona Coyotes for the first time this season. 

The Sharks will be without another center as Nico Sturm will miss the next two games with a mid-body injury. 

San Jose will also be without Ryan Carpenter. Tomas Hertl and Mikael Granlund will have to do a lot of heavy lifting at the center position. 

Luke Kunin returned from his injury in the Sharks' last game against the Winnipeg Jets. Head coach David Quinn said he expects him to play center tonight. 

"He's smart. He's physical. He's played center before," Quinn said about Kunin. "He's played wing for a long stretch year over the last few years. He's got the ability to play both, which is a valuable asset."

Quinn said that Givani Smith will enter the lineup in Sturm's place. Smith's last game was five days ago against the Vegas Golden Knights. 

Sharks projected lines:

Eklund-Hertl-Barabanov
Zetterlund-Granlund-Duclair
Hoffman-Kunin-Bailey
Smith-Zadina-Labanc

Ferraro-Burroughs
Okhotiuk-Rutta
Thrun-Addison

Kahkonen
Blackwood

Puck drop is at 6 p.m. PST 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.

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