Programming note: Canucks-Sharks coverage starts tonight at 6:30 p.m. with Pregame Live on Comcast SportsNet California
SAN JOSE -- There will be a hat trick’s worth of changes to the Sharks’ lineup when they host the Vancouver Canucks in a key Pacific Division battle at SAP Center on Tuesday.
Matt Nieto will make his return after a nine-game absence with an ankle injury. On defense, Matt Irwin will draw in for Scott Hannan, who struggled in the loss to the Kings on Saturday. Finally, Alex Stalock will make his first start since Dec. 11 vs. Minnesota, while Antti Niemi will likely return on Wednesday in Anaheim for the second half of a back-to-back.
Nieto will start out in a fourth line role, playing the wing with Andrew Desjardins at center and recent call-up Micheal Haley on the other side. Typically a top nine forward, Nieto will try to get back up to NHL speed as quickly as possible, and has the ability to move up to top scoring line if necessary. He has nine points (3g, 6a) in 26 games.
“Tonight it’s just doing the simple things, getting back in the groove of the game,” said Nieto, who expected to be back much sooner after he was hurt late in a game with Boston on Dec. 4. “It’s just going to be simple plays and using my speed, and trying to create momentum for the team.”
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Todd McLellan has been pleased with his forward lines lately, and will apparently leave his top three lines intact for the start. That includes the third line of James Sheppard between rookies Barclay Goodrow and Melker Karlsson.
“Starting him with Desi is a spot where he fits right now,” McLellan said. “We like what the other lines are doing -- or what they have done to this point over the last month. ... Matty hasn’t played for a while. He’s going to have to get his legs and his timing back. We’ll use him penalty killing, maybe a little on the power play. He’ll get his minutes.”
Irwin has been a healthy scratch for the last eight games, and has two goals and three assists for five points and a minus-6 rating in 15 games this season. He’ll be paired with Matt Tennyson on the blue line against the team that he cheered for as a kid in nearby Brentwood Bay, British Columbia.
“I’ve been preparing every day like I’m going to get a chance to play and finally here it is tonight,” Irwin said. “Any chance you get to play you’re excited, and it’s nice it’s against Vancouver, the team I grew up watching.”
Irwin admitted the mental part of sitting out is challenging.
“It is. Obviously when you get into games and you’re playing consistently you get in the flow of it, and when you’re out of it you just want to stay sharp,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing, the mental side of it all. I’ve done a pretty good job of staying positive, being a good teammate, and waiting for my next opportunity.”
McLellan said: “He’s worked extremely hard in practice. He deserves the opportunity to go back in. His legs and his skating have improved in the time away from the games, which is a credit to him. We’d like to think he can be a positive influence on the group.”
Stalock enters with a 4-3-1 record, 2.12 goals-against average and .926 save percentage. Niemi has started and finished the last five Sharks games.
“The first five minutes are huge, getting into it and following the puck,” Stalock said.
The 27-year-old probably won't have to wait long to get another start in after Tuesday, as the Sharks are back-to-back in Winnipeg and Minnesota early next week.
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The Sharks reassigned rookie forward Chris Tierney to Worcester on Tuesday morning. The 20-year-old had been a healthy scratch for the last three games.
