William Eklund’s Return REJUVENATE the San Jose Sharks or Will the Wild DESTROY Their Streak?

William Eklund’s Return REJUVENATE the San Jose Sharks or Will the Wild DESTROY Their Streak?

The Sharks look to extend their point streak to seven games as they take on the Minnesota Wild. You’re Locked on Sharks, your daily podcast on the San Jose Sharks, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. Hello, welcome to Locked On Sharks, the premier hockey podcast covering your favorite team in the Bay Area. My name is JD Young, caretaker at the Reef, also the co-host of Locked On NHL. I want to thank you for making Locked on Sharks your first listen. Proudly part of the Locked On Network, uh the number one sports podcast network out there. Uh so if you want to be an everyday, all you have to do is just follow along wherever you get podcast and of course you can watch on YouTube as well. And today we’ll of course be looking uh at the Minnesota Wild game as the Sharks head to Minnesota here uh trying to extend their point streak uh to seven games. Uh we’ll look at how these two teams match up. Uh look at the projected lines for tonight. Uh and then the kind of three things to watch for in this game. So let’s get started with with how these two teams match up. Uh the Sharks entering with a 76 and three record. uh the Minnesota Wild at 77 and three um right now. So both teams right in the the thick of it when it comes to playoff positioning. Uh goals for structure are 10th in the NHL at 3.31 goals for per game. Uh 3.44 goals allowed per game, 27th in the NHL. That’s been slowly climbing up here over the past kind of week or so. Uh the Wild 2.88 88 goals for 20th in the NHL and 3.35 goals allowed uh 25th in the NHL. Uh the Sharks power plays at sit at 18.9 which is good for 16th. Uh the Minnesota Wilds power plays at 29% and then the PK’s uh for each team 25 75.5 or 24th for the Sharks and then 73% uh which is 25th in NHL for the Wild. Celabbrini leads the Sharks with 10 goals, 14 assists, and 24 points. and Cababrizov leads the Wild with 10 goals, 12 assists, and 22 points. So, uh, two superstars or budding superstars in in Celbrini’s case, uh, in this game here. So, the Minnesota Wild this year are a team that has done a good job of creating expected offense, uh, but has had a horrible time finishing, especially at five on five. Like I said, the power play has been good, but at five on five, this team uh they cannot finish. Uh they also give up a lot of expected goals for as well, and they’ve been kind of getting bailed out by their goalending for a good chunk of it. So, uh, this game feels like you’re going to see a lot of, uh, high danger chances, uh, from coming from both sides here because just the way that these two teams play, uh, hockey. So for the wild after morning skates, Capri off Rossi, Ziggurella, Zugerella’s back, um Baldi, Eriken, E Johansson, uh Terasinko, Hartman, and Hen Hinistrosa, uh Fino, Yurv, and Trenan are your forward group. Uh Zoo, Faber, Broaddin, Spurgeon, Hunt, and Urchek. Um defensively, I know Jake Middleton uh is out. He’s been dealing with an illness. And then Gustoson is getting the net for the wild for the Sharks. Uh these lines are are we’re getting really close here. I feel like uh getting really close to like optimal lines, but uh to fully sell Britney Smith, William Ecquin makes his return. Wenberg and Kurichev, Skinner, Delandria, and Graph on the third line. Goodro Godet Reeves uh Ferraro Clingberg Orlov Mukadullan Dickinson Dehornese defensively with Nadulkovich uh in net. So uh William Equin is back. I would assume Ethan Cardwell will probably get sent down uh back down to the Barracuda to make space for him. And it’s nothing that Cardwell has like Cardell has been great up here and it’s just a numbers game right now and since he’s still waiverss exempt. Uh he just unfortunately is is the guy to go. Even though Ley is back, he is uh going to be sitting tonight. Same thing with Timothy Liginrren who I I’ve said Ligrin hasn’t looked super great as of late. And I think for Ligrin maybe just a day to kind of get healthy here a little bit as he’s been kind of uh taking a little bit of a a beating as of late. So hopefully that’s what this is and you know we have both Dickinson and Mukmulan in the lineup. Uh feels yeah feels good feels good. So um but I I think what to watch for in this game right we know how the last game ended with uh Celibbrini uh coming on the ice and and ending the Wild in overtime uh overtime that was dominated by the Wild. Uh, I think for what I’m really watching for in this game, right, is how do the Sharks continue to try to stop the Crease offline because that is the Wild’s best line. Uh, right and that line has I I think as the Wild go is a lot based on how that line goes and especially at five on five. So, uh, the Sharks have to win the five on five tonight. And we know Wenberg, the Wenberg line with Eklan, um, and Kersev is probably going to get matched up to that line as often as Ryan Warsovski can do it. So, um, how often can can Worski get that line out there against them? Um, and then if they can’t, which other lines can you can they hold down the fort? Uh, and that one don’t let Capri off go crazy because we know Capri off can go off at any time. So, uh, minimizing Capri off, especially at 515, uh, is going to be huge. Uh, for the Sharks here, right, we’ve seen the PK getting better recently. Um, and you’re going to have a big time assignment tonight against this this fourth ranked power play in the NHL. So, and especially with the way the Wild play, right, you you you have to win five on five and you have to try to shut them down as best as possible uh on the penalty kill. You cannot have a parade of penalties tonight because you’re you’re just going to put yourself in a position to lose. So, um I think those are the two big things for the Sharks if they want to try to win this game is just shutting down the Capri offline and just don’t go to the penalty box as as little as possible because the while they have been generating uh you know a fair amount of expected goals. They just have not been able to finish. And the Sharks on the other hand are a team that, you know, they don’t generate a lot of, you know, it’s not a it’s very much a quality over quantity offense for the Sharks. And I think the Sharks can still take advantage tonight. Uh just because they’ve been able to take advantage of of their opportunities. We’ve seen that especially the last couple games, right? You’d think back to the Florida game where Florida hemmed in the Sharks for a good chunk, but Sharks got a couple opportunities here and there and they were able to take advantage, right? Same. And then the Jets game where the Sharks controlled the pace, but uh you had to deal with with Hellabuk. You don’t have to deal with Hella Buck tonight. I mean, Gustoson’s still a great goalie, but I I think the Sharks can continue to get this thing going. I think it’ll be a little bit more highcoring tonight, especially kind of compared to what the games the Sharks have played recently. Um, so put me down for a 4 to3 Sharks win in overtime. Uh, I think with Echo back, he gets a point and I think CBriny continues to do mac and celebrity things. He is a noted wild killer. Uh, put me down for two points from Cabbrini as he uh, tries to catch Nathan McKinnon. So, I think we’re we’re destined for another fun game. I think the Sharks keep things going here. Uh, and these two teams seem to kind of always have a little bit of fireworks whenever they play each other. But, uh, yeah. So, we’ll be back tonight uh after the game. We’ll have a complete breakdown, reactions, all that fun stuff. So, make sure you’re following along wherever you get podcasts. And of course, you can watch on YouTube as well. Follow the show on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and on Tik Tok at Lockdown Sharks. Follow me on Twitter and Blue Sky Fryhole. Uh until tonight, bye friends.

San Jose Sharks chase a seventh straight point as they visit the Minnesota Wild—can Celebrini power the surge and outshine Kaprizov’s firepower? JD Young previews this Western Conference showdown, spotlighting key matchups like the Sharks’ penalty kill against Minnesota’s top-ranked power play and the critical battle to contain the Kaprizov line at even strength.

Projected lineups reveal William Eklund’s return and lineup tweaks that bring the Sharks closer to their optimal roster, while the Wild look to bounce back after overtime heartbreak. Analytical insights include scoring trends, expected goals, and the goaltending duel between Nedeljkovic and Gustavsson. With playoff positioning heating up and the Sharks’ offense focused on quality over quantity, can they continue their run and keep the Wild at bay? Tune in for projections, hot takes, and a bold 4-3 overtime win prediction.

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-sharks/

Locked On NHL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Prospects & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNHL

Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!

DripDrop
Right now, DripDrop is offering podcast listeners 20% off your first order.
Go to https://dripdrop.com and use promo code LOCKEDONNHL.

Indeed
Now, you can speed up your hiring process with a $75 Sponsored Job Credit. Just go to https://indeed.com/lockedon right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Terms and conditions apply.

Gametime
Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNHL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.

Monarch
Take control of your finances with Monarch. Use code LOCKEDONNHL at https://monarch.com/lockedonnhl for 50% off your first year.

FanDuel
Download the FanDuel app now by visiting FanDuel.com and win $300 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

#NHL #Sharks #SanJoseSharks