The San Jose Sharks named Luke Kunin and Mikael Granlund as alternate captains forward of Wednesday’s sport towards Winnipeg.
The injured
Alternate captain Tomas Hertl and captain Logan Couture are each sidelined by accidents, anticipated to be out for a number of weeks.
On Monday, Hertl had surgical procedure to wash out knee cartilage.
“I’ve been experiencing soreness in my left knee on and off this season,” Hertl mentioned in an announcement Monday. Hertl is predicted to be out on IR for a number of weeks as he will get again to 100%.
In the meantime, Couture is out once more coping with the resurfacing osteitis pubis damage that stored him away earlier this season. Couture didn’t return to apply after the Sharks’ bye-week break.
Including to the injured was Nico Sturm, who left Wednesday’s sport after a attainable head damage. Sturm is predicted to return on Thursday towards the Calgary Flames.
Within the management absence, forwards Kunin and Granlund can fill the void.
The alts
The facilities performed alongside one another twice previously with the Nashville Predators and the Minnesota Wild.
“We obtained management group right here,” Kunin mentioned on Wednesday, “It’s fairly particular. One thing you don’t take with no consideration or flippantly.”
Talking of his three-time teammate’s management, Kunin mentioned, “I feel it’s fairly simple to see while you’re watching. [Granlund] Simply provides it his all each night time. He’s a pacesetter, works laborious, not solely with the expertise he has however simply does all the things proper.”
Granlund and Kunin had their first feat of their management roles following Wednesday’s 1-0 shutout loss to the Jets.
The L
The Sharks had been outshot 39-17, with Workforce Teal’s Kaapo Kahkonen named first star in their very own loss.
Defenseman Mario Ferraro skated in his three hundredth profession sport, blocking two photographs and logging 25:17 minutes on the ice.
Winnipeg’s Morgan Barron scored late within the first interval assisted by Neal Pionk and Dylan Samberg. After that, each groups went forty minutes with out one other objective.
San Jose received simply 38.5 % of the faceoffs, and the Jets maintained puck possession for many of the sport.
“They defend actually good,” Granlund mentioned following the loss, “You suppose you form of obtained them however they backcheck laborious. They defend actually laborious and that’s how they kill some performs. Like they’ve proven all through the season it’s not simple to attain towards them.”
In 36 of 51 video games, the Jets have two targets or fewer towards them.
Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck stopped 17 photographs to earn his third shutout of the season.
On the opposite aspect, this was the Sharks eighth scoreless sport this season. Whereas it’s the primary sport again after the break, the group has to discover a solution to get offensive possibilities.
“Clearly it’s group we performed towards,” mentioned Kunin, “Positively looking for a solution to get extra seems to be. Discover a solution to get pucks to the web.”
One other Sharks’ loss is one other sport the place the goalie stored them in it.
Sharks’ Kahkonen mentioned postgame, “I feel they’re a fairly excessive shot quantity group. However general I feel what we did properly was…I feel we boxed them out and kinda stored them outdoors. In order that was good for me.”
Subsequent up
Workforce Teal returns to the Tank towards the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday. San Jose will debut their third jerseys, the “Cali Fin” towards Columbus. The Cali Fin uniforms can be worn at residence video games by means of February and March.
San Jose will play at residence for 5 video games earlier than hitting the street once more in March towards the Dallas Stars.
You may “Like” The Sport Haus on Fb and “Comply with” us on X for extra sports activities articles like this one.
Featured picture courtesy of San Jose Sharks on NHL.com
“From Our Haus to Yours”
