Sharks vs. Coyotes Preview: San Jose looks to snap its losing streak in the Desert

The last time the Sharks played in Glendale, it didn’t look like half the team showed up. Tonight San Jose looks to atone for a very disappointing showing against the Coyotes early this season, but they’ll have to do it without Tomas Hertl, who went back to San Jose on Friday for an MRI.

That means the Sharks will need to get creative with their lineup on the final game of the six-game road trip. San Jose has lost two in a row after winning the first three of the lengthy swing and playing the worst possession team in the league seems like a nice way to snap a losing streak.

Melker Karlsson may get back into the lineup tonight, which would be a big boost for a San Jose team that’s going to need all the help it can get without Hertl in the lineup. If Karlsson plays, here’s how I would line up against the Coyotes (we’ll try to get a post up with the lines from the morning skate):

Joe Pavelski - Joe Thornton - Melker Karlsson

Joel Ward - Logan Couture - Joonas Donskoi

Patrick Marleau - Chris Tierney - Kevin Labanc

Matt Nieto - Tommy Wingels - Micheal Haley

Marc-Edouard Vlasic - Justin Braun

Brent Burns - Paul Martin

Brenden Dillon - David Schlemko