The San Jose Sharks wrap up a three-game road trip against the Columbus Blue Jackets with some positive momentum on their side.
The Sharks will start Alex Nedeljkovic in goal as Yaroslav Askarov suffered an upper-body injury against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday. As a response, the team recalled Laurent Brossoit from the San Jose Barracuda. Nedeljkovic has had to carry the load as San Jose’s starting goalie for most of March as Askarov deals with his injuries.
Nedeljkovic will start, same lines and pairings as last game
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) March 28, 2026
The Blue Jackets are one of, if not the, hottest teams in the NHL since the Olympic break. In 16 games since the break, Columbus holds a 9-3-4 record and holds third place in the Metropolitan Division.
Saturday will be the second and final matchup between the San Jose Sharks and the Blue Jackets. The Sharks defeated the Jackets 5-2 on Jan. 6. At the time, Macklin Celebrini recorded an assist to extend a point streak to 11 games. Now the Sharks superstar is in a mini-slump with just two assists over his past five games.
Celebrini took responsibility for the overtime goal against for not being more aware of the situation.
While the San Jose Sharks aren’t officially eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention, it will take a miracle for them to get back in. The Sharks are six points behind the Nashville Predators, but do own two games in hand. Following Saturday’s game, the Sharks will play six straight at home, potentially their last chance to make up any ground.