After a 37-save performance against the Dallas Stars on Saturday, Alex Stalock was expected to start yesterday’s game in Florida and the morning skate indicated as much. Instead, it was Antti Niemi between the pipes as the Sharks dropped a 4-1 decision to the Panthers after which head coach Todd McLellan confirmed the decision to go with Niemi was necessitated by last-minute circumstances.
Those circumstances were an injury to Stalock, as the Sharks have now placed their backup goaltender on injured reserve and recalled Troy Grosenick, who has a .908 SV% to go along with a 7-2 record in Worcester this season. It’s unlikely Grosenick will get the start tomorrow in Tampa but with back-to-back games coming up this weekend against the Blue Jackets and Hurricanes, it’s certainly possible the 25-year-old Wisconsin native gets his first taste of NHL action in the near future.
We’ll likely find out more details regarding the nature of Stalock’s injury shortly but you’d hope it isn’t related to Antoine Roussel effectively punching him in the face on Saturday:
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