Today is extra special for a couple of reasons. For one thing, it marks the return of Erik Karlsson to San Jose after his offseason trade. Karlsson got some time in San Jose last night and hung out with some of the guys. Matt Nieto, who also plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins was there too according to San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng.
Nieto says he had dinner with Couture, Benning, and Ferraro yesterday. Karlsson came too.
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 4, 2023
Karlsson paid, of course.
Both Pittsburgh and San Jose seem to be in the same boat early in the season. Neither team is winning much. As a result, this may be San Jose’s best chance to gain that first win of the season. The Philadelphia Flyers, Edmonton Oilers, Vegas Golden Knights, Anaheim Ducks and Florida Panthers are the next five teams on the docket and all of them have been scoring a lot more than the Sharks.
San Jose Sharks lines
On the Sharks side of the ice, Mackenzie Blackwood gets the start. Blackwood played the tail end of the game against the Vancouver Canucks, but with Kaapo Kahkonen out with an injury Blackwood’s getting the starts for the foreseeable future. Magnus Chrona will play backup. Mike Hoffman is expected to be back in after sitting out the last game. That makes Kevin Labanc the odd man out.
Forwards
Fabian Zetterlund – Tomas Hertl – Anthony Duclair
William Eklund – Mikael Granlund – Luke Kunin
Filip Zadina – Nico Sturm – Mike Hoffman
Givani Smith – Ryan Carpenter – Jacob MacDonald
Defensemen
Mario Ferraro – Ty Emberson
Marc-Edouard Vlasic – Kyle Burroughs
Nikita Okhotiuk – Jan Rutta
Goaltenders
Mackenzie Blackwood
Magnus Chrona
Source: Daily Faceoff
Pittsburgh Penguins lines
Forwards
Jake Guentzel – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust
Reilly Smith – Evgeni Malkin – Rickard Rakell
Drew O’Connor – Lars Eller – Radim Zohorna
Matt Nieto – Noel Acciari – Vinnie Hinostroza
Defensemen
Ryan Graves – Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson – Erik Karlsson
Ryan Shea – Chad Ruhwedel
Goaltenders
Tristan Jarry
Magnus Hellberg
How to watch the Pittsburgh Penguins 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 radio call will be streamed through the Sharks Audio Network. Penguins fans can watch the game on SN-PIT.
The game starts at 7:00 p.m. PT/10:00 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!