Improving Sharks will be without one of their leaders vs. Kraken
SAN JOSE – Injured forward William Eklund will miss his second straight game Wednesday when the San Jose Sharks face the Pacific Division-leading Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena, looking to extend their season-long point streak to four games.
Eklund, who is tied for second on the Sharks with 11 points, did not travel with the Sharks to Seattle on Tuesday afternoon as he continues to deal with a lower-body injury that also caused him to miss Sunday’s home game against the Detroit Red Wings, a 3-2 shootout loss.
Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said Eklund, who has had the injury for over a week, is considered day-to-day but is “trending in the right direction.” Warsofsky said he wasn’t sure if Eklund would need to be put on injured reserve, as the Sharks host the Winnipeg Jets on Friday and the Florida Panthers on Saturday.
Eklund, 23, was playing some of the best hockey of his NHL career late last month. In five games from Oct. 23-30, Eklund had four goals and five assists. Eklund, Alexander Wennberg, and winger Philipp Kurashev formed the Sharks’ most consistent line, not only with their scoring contributions but by holding the opposing teams’ top lines mostly in check.
Eklund had close to 21 minutes in ice time in the Sharks’ 3-2 overtime win over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. He was held without a point, but he and his linemates (plus Yaroslav Askarov’s exceptional game) did enough to slow down Colorado’s top players and give the Sharks a second straight win over a playoff-caliber opponent. San Jose also beat the New Jersey Devils 5-2 last Thursday.
The Sharks’ 4-6-3 start is actually their best since the 2021-22 season, when they began 6-4-1.
“He’s a leader on this team right now,” Wennberg said of Eklund, who is third among all Sharks forwards in average ice time (19:50). “Offensively, he plays all over the ice and plays big minutes. It’s big shoes to fill. But the group here is picking each other up right now.”
Wennberg took Eklund’s spot on the Sharks’ top power play unit during Tuesday’s practice, and forward Adam Gaudette took Eklund’s place on the second line. Gaudette was on IR as of Tuesday afternoon, but is an option to play Wednesday, Warsofsky said.
Gaudette, who has three goals and an assist in nine games, has missed the Sharks’ last four games with an upper-body injury he sustained in the Sharks’ 6-5 overtime win over the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 26.
The Kraken, under new coach Lane Lambert, are 4-0-2 at home this season and are coming off a 3-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday that moved them into first place in the Pacific Division before Tuesday’s games.
“They’re structured. They’re very detailed,” Warsofsky said of the Kraken. “I’ve known (Lambert), he’s a detailed coach. He’s going to expect details. We need to penetrate the middle of the ice. They’re a fast team that can get up and down the ice.”
OTHER INJURIES
Forward Ty Dellandrea, who has five assists in 13 games this season, has a lower-body injury and is questionable to play Wednesday, Warsofsky said. Dellandrea, who did not practice on Tuesday, was injured in the third period of Sunday’s game against the Red Wings. He is averaging 13:05 in ice time in 13 games this season.
Defenseman Nick Leddy, who has missed the last six games with an upper-body injury, practiced again on Tuesday. Warsofsky said Leddy will take part in the Sharks’ morning skate in Seattle on Wednesday and be re-evaluated before the team plays the Jets and the Panthers.
Warsofsky said forward Ryan Reaves, out with a lower-body injury, is “trending in the right direction.” It remains unclear, though, if he’ll be activated off IR before Friday’s game.
Defenseman Mario Ferraro was given a maintenance day on Tuesday but is expected to play against the Kraken.