Capitals at Sharks: Lines, how to watch and open thread

Short one today to give all you wonderful Sharks fans a place to talk during this afternoon game.

The big news is that William Eklund is ready to make his Sharks debut this season. David Quinn says Eklund will get a long look. However, I would guess that look does not last longer than eight games since General Manager Mike Grier said Eklund’s Entry Level Contract could slide a year if he plays fewer than nine games.

Grier says Eklund’s ELC can “slide” again if he plays 9 NHL games or fewer — so my guess, we just see him for a cup of coffee this year, albeit a long one

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) March 3, 2023

The Washington Capitals last played on Wednesday, so the team is plenty rested.

San Jose Sharks

STATS

Record: 18-32-12
Streak: L4
Goals Leader: Logan Couture (21 G, 29 A)
Assists Leader: Erik Karlsson (19 G, 59 A)
Power Play: 18.3%
Penalty Kill: 83.1%
Goals For/60: 2.94
Goals Against/60: 3.65

LINES

Fabian Zetterlund – Tomas Hertl – Andreas Johnsson
Kevin Labanc – Logan Couture – Alexander Barabanov
Noah Gregor – Nico Sturm – Evgeny Svechnikov
William Eklund – Steven Lorentz – Oskar Lindblom

Mario Ferraro – Erik Karlsson
Marc-Edouard Vlasic – Matt Benning
Radim Simek – Jacob MacDonald

Kaapo Kahkonen
James Reimer

Expected Scratches: Nick Cicek

Injured Reserve: Luke Kunin (knee), Markus Nutivaara (lower body), Jonah Gadjovich (upper body)

Washington Capitals

STATS

Record: 18-32-12
Streak: L4
Goals Leader: Alex Ovechkin (33 G, 24 A)
Assists Leader: Evgeny Kuznetsov (11 G, 39 A)
Power Play: 20.9%
Penalty Kill: 82.4%
Goals For/60: 3.02
Goals Against/60: 2.97

LINES

Alex Ovechkin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson
Anthony Mantha — Nicklas Backstrom — Craig Smith
Sonny Milano — Dylan Strome — T.J. Oshie
Conor Sheary — Nic Dowd — Nicolas Aube-Kubel

Martin Fehervary — Nick Jensen
Rasmus Sandin — Trevor van Riemsdyk
Matt Irwin — Alexander Alexeyev

Darcy Kuemper
Charlie Lindgren

Expected Scratches: None

Injured Reserve: John Carlson (head), Carl Hagelin (hip), Connor Brown (knee)

How to watch

Today’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. Puck drop is 3:00 p.m. PT/6:00 p.m. ET at SAP Center in San Jose.

In Washington, you can watch on NBCSW. You can also live stream on the team’s webpage or listen through the MyTeams app.

Check back then to follow along with all of the play-by-play action in the comment section below!