The San Jose Sharks are back home and ready to host the red hot Florida Panthers. The Panthers have won four games in a row and currently sit in second place in the Atlantic Division.
The big news for Florida is not who the team has now but who it could have in the near future. Florida is considered one of the frontrunners in the Patrick Kane sweepstakes, though the team isn’t able to offer Kane much in the way of salary. The Panthers are right at the cap ceiling. Even if Kane signs for the league minimum, the Panthers may still have to make a move to fit him in. That’s not stopping Florida General Manager Bill Zito. According to Elliotte Friedman of 32 Thoughts, Zito has been “aggressive” in pursuing Kane. Friedman likened Zito to the guy that calls you during dinner to sell you.
The Panthers are in need of scoring, especially without two of the team’s top defensemen out with injuries. Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad have missed considerable time. Montour had shoulder surgery in the offseason but is with the team on this road trip and could play as soon as Friday against Anaheim. Ekblad is also recovering from a shoulder injury. He’s expected to be back as soon as Friday as well.
Former Shark Jonah Gadjovich is currently on loan to Florida’s AHL affiliate in Charlotte for a conditioning assignment. He likely will not play in Florida’s only visit to San Jose this season. Returning to San Jose for the first time since his trade is Steven Lorentz.
San Jose Sharks lines
There are a lot of questions floating around about tonight’s lineup. The Sharks called up Daniil Gushchin from the Barracuda. Gushchin has been the leading scorer for the Barracuda to start the season, so he gets a look tonight.
Meanwhile, the Mercury News’ Curtis Pashelka reports that Anthony Duclair may be a game time decision. Duclair hasn’t been well enough to play the past two games. He’s expected to take the pregame skate and decide from there.
Quinn says Duclair will take pregame skate and see how he feels at that point. Seems unlikely to play but We’ll see. Gushchin will play regardless. #SJSharks
— Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) November 14, 2023
The other question mark is who slots in on defense. The Hockey News’ Max Miller reports that it was Ty Emberson paired with Nikolai Knyzhov yesterday, which means it could be Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Kyle Burroughs sitting this one out.
Okay, so it just came to me that Emberson was paired with Knyzhov yesterday. That could mean Vlasic is also scratched with Burroughs. Won't know until warmups. #SJSharks https://t.co/j4Nc7PiN7Q
— Max Miller (@Real_Max_Miller) November 15, 2023
Lines could look like the following:
Forwards
William Eklund – Tomas Hertl – Fabian Zetterlund
Daniil Gushchin – Mikael Granlund – Luke Kunin
Filip Zadina – Nico Sturm – Kevin Labanc
Givani Smith – Ryan Carpenter – Mike Hoffman
Defensemen
Mario Ferraro – Calen Addison
Nikita Okhotiuk – Jan Rutta
Nikolai Knyzhov – Ty Emberson
Goaltenders
Mackenzie Blackwood
Kaapo Kahkonen
If Duclair is healthy enough to play, it might be Mike Hoffman sent to the press box. The Sharks have had difficulty scoring and Hoffman has yet to score for the team.
Florida Panthers lines
According to the Daily Faceoff, expect to see the following lines for Florida tonight:
Forwards
Evan Rodrigues – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Nick Cousins
Ryan Lomberg – Kevin Stenlund – Steven Lorentz
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Niko Mikkola – Dmitry Kulikov
Josh Mahura – Uvis Balinskis
Goaltenders
Anthony Stolarz
Sergei Bobrovsky
How to watch Florida Panthers at San Jose Sharks
Tonight’s game will be broadcast on ESPN+/Hulu. The radio call will be streamed through the Sharks Audio Network. Florida Panthers fans can listen to the game at 560 Sports WQAM in Broward/Dade County, 1230 WBZT “The Gambler” in Palm Beach, WCTH-FM Thunder Country 100.3 in the Florida Keys and “Real Radio” 101.7 WCZR-FM on Treasure Coast.
The game starts at 7:30 p.m. PT/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!
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