San Jose Sharks forward Logan Couture is skating and he could be back with the team in the next few weeks. The San Jose Mercury News’ Curtis Pashelka snapped this video of Couture on the ice following the Sharks’ skate this morning.
Couture ramping this up this morning. Perhaps he can see the light at the end of the tunnel pic.twitter.com/JeN3TSe3t2
— Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) December 12, 2023
Couture talked to the media this morning about his recovery from an unspecified lower-body injury and gave them insight into his situation. Read Pashelka’s article about Couture’s recovery for all of the details, but the crux of it is that the inability to play took a large mental and emotional toll on Couture to the point that he was unsure if he would ever play hockey at the NHL level again.
Here’s to hoping we see Captain Couture back soon.
The Winnipeg Jets visit SAP Center tonight riding a four-game winning streak. The Jets are third in the Central Division and have beat the Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks, Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche in this latest stretch of games.
Kyle Connor, who leads the team with 17 goals will not play tonight. The forward has returned to Winnipeg for evaluation after he collided with Ryan Strome in Anaheim on Sunday. Mark Scheifele shares the team lead in points with Connor. Both players have 28 points in 26 games.
San Jose Sharks lines
The Sharks may see the return of two key forwards tonight. William Eklund and Anthony Duclair both practiced with the team this morning. Duclair left Sunday’s game in Vegas after a collision in the second period. Meanwhile, Eklund was a late scratch on Sunday. Both players appear to be healthy enough to play. Also, late today the Sharks reactivated Luke Kunin from injured reserve. We’ll see if he’s a game time decision.
Matt Benning was placed on IR. Henry Thrun was returned to the Barracuda over the weekend but skated with the team this morning. Marc-Edouard Vlasic is questionable tonight. He missed Sunday’s game due to personal reasons and there’s no word on when he will be back.
As a result, here’s what we think the lines will look like tonight.
Forwards
William Eklund – Tomas Hertl – Alexander Barabanov
Anthony Duclair – Mikael Granlund – Fabian Zetterlund
Justin Bailey – Nico Sturm – Mike Hoffman
Jacob MacDonald – Filip Zadina – Kevin Labanc
Defensemen
Mario Ferraro – Kyle Burroughs
Nikita Okhotiuk – Jan Rutta
Henry Thrun – Calen Addison
Goaltenders
Mackenzie Blackwood
Kaapo Kahkonen
Blackwood off first, looks like he starts
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) December 12, 2023
Winnipeg Jets lines
According to Daily Faceoff, here’s what the line combinations look like:
Fowards
Nikolaj Ehlers – Mark Scheifele – Gabriel Vilardi
Cole Perfetti – Vladislav Namestnikov – Morgan Barron
Nino Niederreiter – Adam Lowry – Mason Appleton
Alex Iafallo – David Gustafsson – Axel Jonsson-Fjallby
Defensemen
Josh Morrissey – Dylan DeMelo
Brenden Dillon – Neal Pionk
Dylan Samberg – Nate Schmidt
Goaltenders
Laurent Brossoit
Connor Hellebuyck
How to watch Winnipeg Jets at San Jose Sharks
Tonight’s game will be broadcast regionally on NBCSCA. Streaming is available with a subscription to ESPN+ (blackout restrictions may apply). The game is also set to air on the NHL Network. The radio call will be streamed through the Sharks Audio Network. Winnipeg Jets fans can watch the game on TSN 3 or listen on Radio 680 CJOB/Power 97.
The game starts at 7:30 p.m. PT/9:30 CT/10:30 p.m. ET at SAP Center.
Check back then to follow along with all of the play-by-play action in the comment section below!
As many of you know, Fear the Fin is an independent site run by Sharks fans for Sharks fans. Help keep Fear the Fin independent by contributing to our