SAN JOSE – The lines and lineup appear set for the Sharks are they open up their six-game preseason slate on Tuesday night against Vancouver at SAP Center.
Goalie Troy Grosenick will get the start in net, although newcomer Mantas Armalis could see some time before the night is through.
The line combinations at the morning skate were as follows:
Nikolay Goldobin – Chris Tierney – Tommy Wingels
Matt Nieto – Rourke Chartier – Marcus Sorensen
Kevin Labanc – Ryan Carpenter – Barclay Goodrow
John McCarthy – Daniel O’Regan – Micheal Haley
Brenden Dillon – David Schlemko
Mirco Mueller – Dylan DeMelo
Joakim Ryan – Jeremy Roy
Indications are there are spots to be had on the Sharks’ NHL roster, particularly up front. Coach Pete DeBoer is looking forward to seeing the competition get underway in game action.
“Excited to see some of the young guys, and how they kind of show themselves tonight,” DeBoer said. “It’s an important night. While we have six preseason games, the last one or two are going to be pretty much our opening night lineup. So, you’ve got three or four games here to really make an impression. I’m excited to see that.”
One notable change from earlier in camp is Goldobin and Sorensen switching lines. Sorensen and Chris Tierney seemed to have some good chemistry in an intrasquad scrimmage on Sunday, while Goldobin was invisible on a line with Tomas Hertl.
This is an important camp for Goldobin, the Sharks' first round pick from 2014. Although he possesses tremendous skill, he just can’t seem to put everything together on a regular basis, and he’s in danger of getting passed over by other skilled wingers in the organization. Playing with Tierney, who has been outstanding in camp so far, should be a good opportunity for the 20-year-old.
When asked about the line combinations, DeBoer said: “You’re trying to give guys opportunities so they feel at the end of the camp they were given an opportunity to show their stuff.”
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Timo Meier missed his third straight day of camp due to illness.
