Get ready for the battle of the bad. Two of the projected worst teams in the NHL are ready for their first game of the season series. The Sna Jose Sharks pay a visit to the Chicago Blackhawks tonight. Unfortunately, this will not be a game where you see the 2023 first overall pick and the 2024 first overall pick go head to head. Macklin Celebrini is still in San Jose nursing a hip injury.
According to San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng, Celebrini has not started skating yet and is still questionable for the next Sharks’ road trip that starts on Oct. 22. Whether he’s hitting the road with the Sharks or not is still up in the air.
There’s more chaos in the Sharks lineup aside from Celebrini out with an injury. William Eklund missed yesterday’s skate and is a “game-time” decision tonight. He’s dealing with an upper-body injury. If Eklund is out, it looks like Danil Gushchin will get another opportunity. If Eklund is healthy, there’s no saying who will be asked to sit.
What’s more, Will Smith, after a game in which he saw just over 10 minutes of ice time, is now demoted so to speak. He is expected to play on the third line between Luke Kunin and Barclay Goodrow while Alex Wennberg moves up to the second line.
On the Chicago side of things, there are also some injuries. Top defenseman Alec Martinez has a lower-body injury and isn’t expected to play tonight. Laurent Brossoit and Artyom Levshunov aren’t well enough to practice with the team just yet.
Meantime, Lukas Reichel will get his first opportunity to play this season.
Connor Bedard is doing well in his sophomore season. He has five points in four games. Chicago is also doing better than expected in a strange Central Division. The Blackhawks have three points to start the season and sit in sixth place. Below Chicago in the standings are the Nashville Predators and the Colorado Avalanche. Neither team has a win to their names in this young season.
San Jose Sharks lines for Oct. 17, 2024
Peng reports that without Eklund, this is what the lines could look like tonight. While there’s a lot of moving pieces on offense, there’s no change on defense. That might change once Shakir Mukhamadullin is ready to play.
As we continue the back and forth of goaltenders, look for Vitek Vanecek to make his second start of the season.
#TheFutureIsTeal lines today, sans Eklund, interesting switch of Wennberg/Smith:
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) October 16, 2024
Gushchin-Granlund-Toffoli
Kostin-Wennberg-Zetterlund
Goodrow-W. Smith-Kunin
Grundstrom-Sturm-Dellandrea
Walman-Ceci
Ferraro-Rutta
Thrun-Benning
Forwards
Danil Gushchin – Mikael Granlund – Tyler Toffoli
Klim Kostin – Alex Wennberg – Fabian Zetterlund
Barclay Goodrow – Will Smith – Luke Kunin
Carl Grundstrom – Nico Sturm – Ty Dellandrea
Defense
Jake Walman – Cody Ceci
Mario Ferraro – Jan Rutta
Henry Thrun – Matt Benning
Goaltenders
Vitek Vanecek
Mackenzie Blackwood
Chicago Blackhawks lines tonight
As for the Blackhawks, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun Times reports the following lines:
Looks like Reichel will finally be in the Blackhawks’ lineup tonight. Martinez is not on the ice for morning skate, so not sure on D pairs.
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) October 17, 2024
Foligno-Bedard-Teravainen
Hall-Kurashev-Bertuzzi
Mikheyev-Dickinson-Anderson
Maroon-Reichel-Smith
Mrazek in starter’s crease
Forwards
Nick Foligno – Connor Bedard – Teuvo Teravainen
Taylor Hall – Philipp Kurashev – Tyler Bertuzzi
Ilya Mikheyev – Jason Dickinson – Joey Anderson
Patrick Maroon – Lukas Reichel – Craig Smith
Defense
Alex Vlasic – Seth Jones
Wyatt Kaiser – TJ Brodie
Nolan Allan – Connor Murphy
Goaltenders
Petr Mrazek
Arvid Soderblom
How to watch Sharks at Blackhawks, Oct. 17 2024
The puck drops at 5:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. CT at the United Center in Chicago. You can watch the game on NBC Sports California or listen through the Sharks Audio Network app.
Thanks to our friends at Second City Hockey for a look at how to watch if you’re a Blackhawks fan. On TV in the Chicago area, tune in to CHSN or listen on WGN 720.
As long as you don’t live in Chicago or the Bay Area, you can watch the game on ESPN+.
Be sure to come back here at game time to talk about all things hockey with the rest of the Fear the Fin community.