Can rookie forward solve Sharks’ top-line left winger issues?
The San Jose Sharks are making at least two changes to their lineup for Saturday’s road game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
One is required. The other is an intriguing choice.
Center Nico Sturm, who sustained an upper-body injury during the Sharks’ 3-2 loss to the New York Rangers on Thursday, will come out of the lineup and be replaced by winger Klim Kostin, who will dress for the first time since Oct. 28 after eight consecutive healthy scratches.
It was not immediately clear how much time Sturm, who has six points in 18 games this season, will have to miss. Ryan Warsofsky told reporters in Pittsburgh that Sturm is day-to-day.
The Sharks play the Detroit Red Wings at home on Monday, followed by road games against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday and the St. Louis Blues on Thursday.
Sturm is averaging just 9:50 in ice time per game but is one of the Sharks’ leaders in faceoffs – most of which come in the defensive zone — and is one of their top penalty-killing forwards.
Sturm’s injury has given Kostin a chance to resurrect his season, as he’s played in seven of 18 games and averaged 8:18 in ice time.
Also, for Saturday, the Sharks are reportedly putting Will Smith on the same line as Macklin Celebrini and Tyler Toffoli. The trio played a handful of shifts together in the third period of Saturday’s game and created at least one scoring chance.
The Sharks (5-10-3) are looking for someone to play on the wing with Celebrini and Toffoli on a regular basis. When Celebrini has been in the lineup, the Sharks have had William Eklund, Ty Dellandrea, Mikael Granlund and Barclay Goodrow as left wingers with varying degrees of success.
Perhaps Smith, who has had an up-and-down start to his professional career, can be a solution. While drafted by the Sharks in 2023 as a centerman, Smith played on the wing in games against the Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers earlier on this road trip.
Smith has one assist and is a -6 in his last five games, averaging 14:27 in ice time.
Saturday’s game marks the first time Smith and Celebrini will compete against the Penguins and Sidney Crosby, who is two goals shy of 600 for his career.
The Penguins are 1-3-2 in their last six games and are in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division with 15 points. The Sharks have a 5-3-1 record since a 7-3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 26, but are in eighth place in the Pacific Division.
It’s also San Jose’s first game this season against former coach David Quinn, who joined the Penguins coaching staff in June, less than two months after the Sharks organization fired him. Quinn went 41-98-25 in two years as the Sharks head coach, with the team bottoming out last season with a 19-54-9 record.