As expected, Macklin Celebrini did not travel with the San Jose Sharks to Vegas this weekend. This is the final Sharks preseason game before Thursday’s season home opener and there are still some spots up for grabs.
In the forward group, Collin Graf, Ethan Cardwell and Danil Gushchin are still up from the Barracuda. Interestingly, San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng reports that Klim Kostin’s name was also in the mix when Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky was asked which players are competing for the remaining spots. One would imagine that Kostin has the inside track if only because he’s the only one of the four that’s not waivers eligible.
On defense, Luca Cagnoni remains with the Sharks, and so do Shakir Mukhamadullin and Jack Thompson. On that front, we’d guess that Cagnoni finds his way back to the Barracuda since it’s a big jump from the WHL to the NHL. While it’s possible, there’s no reason to rush Cagnoni before he’s ready. That leaves Thompson and Mukhamadullin.
Both are waivers eligible and both appear to be ready. The real question is, which one is hurt more by spending time in the press box as the team’s seventh defenseman? Or, do the Sharks do something a little more daring and put Marc-Edouard Vlasic as the seventh defenseman?
Kostin, Cardwell, Thompson and Cagnoni are all expected to play tonight. Opening night rosters are due on Monday, so decisions will be made soon.
San Jose Sharks lines
Thanks to The San Jose Mercury News’ Curtis Pashelka, we know who will be playing for the Sharks tonight.
Sharks roster for tonight pic.twitter.com/FhjeJ6aBDj
— Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) October 5, 2024
Given that there’s no Will Smith, no Celebrini and no Mikael Granlund, your guess is as good as mine about what the lines are. Mackenzie Blackwood was off the ice first, so he’s likely the starter in net tonight.
Vegas Golden Knights lines for Oct. 5, 2024
As for the Vegas Golden Knights, there’s not really a lot of details on who will be playing, but The Hockey News’ Julian Gaudio reports that Zach Aston-Reese, Tanner Laczynski, Jonas Røndbjerg, Ben Hutton and Kaedan Korczak all participated in the optional morning skate, which likely means that they will be healthy scratched tonight.
Adin Hill is expected to start in net tonight.
How to watch Sharks at Knights Oct. 5, 2024
Only Sharks fans in the Bay Area will be able to stream the game. It’s available on sjsharks.com. You’ll also be able to stream the audio from anywhere if you use the Sharks + SAP Center mobile app.
If you’re in the Vegas area, there are a few more options for you. The game will be on television on Vegas 34 or streaming on KnightTime+ (really?). There’s also audio available on FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340.
If all else fails, or even if it doesn’t, you can join us here at game time to talk with other Sharks fans about what’s happening on the ice and around the league.
