The NHL is launching the Frozen Frenzy tonight, in fact, by the time you read this, it will already be underway. For one night only, all 32 NHL teams will be playing with staggered starts so fans can get a taste of as many teams as possible.
The Sharks’ most recent road trip to Florida is aptly timed for this event. Now the NHL can bury the game among all the other East Coast starts. The puck will drop at 4:45 p.m. PT.
Tonight’s game marks the return of Anthony Duclair to Florida, where he played the last three seasons. While Duclair did not factor much into last season’s playoff run for the Panthers, he was impactful in the team’s playoff run that took it to the Stanley Cup Finals.
San Jose Sharks lines
While Duclair will be in the lineup tonight, there are some other notable changes. After he was benched for the second half of the game against the Nashville Predators on Saturday night, Marc-Edouard Vlasic will be a healthy scratch. As San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng reports, Head Coach David Quinn is not thrilled with Vlasic’s play and this move has been some time coming.
Quinn, on scratching Vlasic: "He and I have had a few conversations before the season started and a couple during the season. It's pretty clear what we're looking for. Keep those conversations between Marc and I…If we were happy with what was going on, he'd be in the line-up."
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) October 24, 2023
Ty Emberson will remain in the lineup on defense. Meanwhile, after sitting out the last game, Thomas Bordeleau will be back in the lineup. Peng reports that these were the lines in practice.
These are #SJSharks lines this morning, still not sure if they're running 7D.
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) October 24, 2023
If so, that would push, I guess, Bordeleau out. We'll see:
Barabanov-Hertl-Duclair
Eklund-Peterson-Labanc
Hoffman-Sturm-Zetterlund
Zadina-Bordeleau-Kunin
Knowing all that, this is what the lines should look like:
Forwards
Alexander Barabanov – Tomas Hertl – Anthony Duclair
William Eklund – Jacob Peterson – Kevin Labanc
Mike Hoffman – Nico Sturm – Fabian Zetterlund
Filip Zadina – Thomas Bordeleau – Luke Kunin
Defense
Mario Ferraro – Kyle Burroughs
Ty Emberson – Matt Benning
Nikolai Knyzhov – Jan Rutta
Goaltenders
Mackenzie Blackwood
Kaapo Kahkonen
Blackwood is expected to start for the Sharks.
Florida Panthers lines
On the Panthers’ side of the ice, there’s a lot of offensive firepower.
Forwards
Evan Rodrigues – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Eetu Luostarinen – Matthew Tkachuk
Nick Cousins – Anton Lundell – Justin Sourdif
Ryan Lomberg – Kevin Stenlund – Steven Lorentz
Defense
Gustav Forsling – Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Niko Mikkola – Dmitry Kulikov
Josh Mahura – Uvis Balinskis
Goaltenders
Anthony Solarz
Sergei Bobrovsky
Lines courtesy of DailyFaceoff.com.
San Jose Sharks at Florida Panthers how to watch
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. Panthers fans can watch the game on Bally Sports Florida.
Remember, with the staggered start, the puck drop time is a little different. The game starts at 4:45 p.m. PT/7:45 p.m. ET at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida.
Check back then to follow along with all of the play-by-play action in the comment section below!
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