Ladies and gentlemen, it’s finally here. The season is upon us. The Sharks are a little later than some teams to get the season started. For example, the Golden Knights opened its season at home on Tuesday night, where the team did all that banner-raising B.S. It’s out of Vegas’ system and now the players can get to the business of actually playing hockey.
Vegas won its home opener, beating the Seattle Kraken 4-1. Tonight, the Golden Knights will be without Brett Howden. The forward was ejected from Tuesday night’s game and received a two-game suspension after a hit to the head on Brandon Tanev.
Brandon Tanev is hurt and it looks bad. He was down on the ice for a long time. Vegas's Brett Howden has been ejected from the game for it and Seattle has been awarded a major penalty, a five minute power play that does not expire if they score. pic.twitter.com/gULfm7d3QI
— Davy Jones' Locker Room (@DavyJonesLR) October 11, 2023
Vegas will also be without forward William Carrier, who left about halfway through the game with the Kraken and did not return. Carrier did not travel with the Golden Knights to San Jose.
On the Sharks end of things, Logan Couture is out. The forward suffered a lower-body injury and had not skated with the team all training camp. Yesterday, Head Coach David Quinn told Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News that Couture suffered a setback.
Quinn says Logan Couture has had a bit of a setback.
— Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) October 11, 2023
San Jose Sharks lines
So, who is in and who is out for the Sharks?
According to San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng, Nikolai Knyzhov, Ty Emberson and Kevin Labanc will sit for the Sharks.
Would guess #SJSharks run these lines tomorrow, 4th-straight day with them, at least up front:
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) October 11, 2023
Hoffman-Hertl-Zadina
Eklund-Granlund-Kunin
Barabanov-Bordeleau-Duclair
Smith-Sturm-Labanc-Zetterlund
Ferraro-Burroughs
Vlasic-Benning
Thrun-Rutta
Knyzhov-Emberson
If that’s the case, then this is what the lines will look like:
Forwards
Mike Hoffman – Tomas Hertl – Filip Zadina
William Eklund – Mikael Granlund – Luke Kunin
Alexander Barabanov – Thomas Bordeleau – Anthony Duclair
Givani Smith – Nico Sturm – Fabian Zetterlund
Defensemen
Mario Ferraro – Kyle Burroughs
Marc-Edouard Vlasic – Matt Benning
Henry Thrun – Jan Rutta
Goaltenders
Kaapo Kahkonen
Mackenzie Blackwood
Quinn said earlier this week that Kahkonen will start in net over Blackwood.
Vegas Golden Knights lines
With Carrier and Howden out of the lineup there will be a few spots to fill. According to SinBin.vegas, it will be 22-year-old Pavel Dorofeyev and 24-year-old Jonas Rondbjerg filling in.
Carrier will not travel, per Cassidy.
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) October 11, 2023
Dorofeyev will go in for sure and Rondbjerg will get the call in the event of a suspension to Howden.
With that in mind, the Vegas lines are expected to look a little something like this according to SinBin.vegas.
Jonas Rondbjerg will be recalled with Howden out the next two games.
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) October 11, 2023
Expected lineup:
Barbashev-Eichel-Marchessault⁰Cotter-Stephenson-Stone⁰Dorofeyev-Karlsson-Amadio⁰Rondbjerg-Roy-Kolesar
Hague-Pietrangelo⁰McNabb-Theodore⁰Hutton-Pachal
Thompson https://t.co/zV6NDQ6E34
Forwards
Ivan Barbashev – Jack Eichel – Jonathan Marchessault
Paul Cotter – Chandler Stephenson – Mark Stone
Pavel Dorofeyev – William Karlsson – Michael Amadio
Jonas Rondbjerg – Nicolas Roy – Keegan Kolesar
Defensemen
Nicolas Hague – AlexPietrangelo
Brayden McNabb – Shea Theodore
Ben Hutton – Brayden Pachal
Goaltenders
Logan Thompson
Adin Hill
How to watch the Golden Knights vs. Sharks game
Tonight’s game will be broadcast regionally on NBCSCA. Streaming is available with a subscription to ESPN+ (blackout restrictions may apply). The radio call will be streamed through the Sharks Audio Network.
Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET at SAP Center in San Jose.
Sharks fans who live in Las Vegas can watch the game on Vegas 34. Or you can pay $6.99 a month for access to the Golden Knights app KnightTime+.
Check back then to follow along with all of the play-by-play action in the comment section below!
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