Vegas Hockey Knight
Fansided

Vegas Golden Knights set to renew hostilities with Sharks in preseason

By Andrew Steele-Davis

SAN JOSE, CA - APRIL 23: Nate Schmidt #88 of the Vegas Golden Knights competes for the puck against Logan Couture #39 of the San Jose Sharks in Game Seven of the Western Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on April 23, 2019 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SAN JOSE, CA - APRIL 23: Nate Schmidt #88 of the Vegas Golden Knights competes for the puck against Logan Couture #39 of the San Jose Sharks in Game Seven of the Western Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on April 23, 2019 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

It may be preseason but there should be plenty of edge and spark when the Vegas Golden Knights meet with bitter rivals the San Jose Sharks.

Tonight will be the first time the Vegas Golden Knights and the San Jose Sharks have gone head-to-head since that now infamous Game 7 in the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and all of the feelings stirred up from that event will be very present this evening.

The Golden Knights are 3-0-0 in the preseason and have outscored their opponents 14-4, while they beat the LA Kings 3-2 in Overtime on Thursday thanks to a Jonathan Marchessault breakaway goal.

The San Jose Sharks, meanwhile, are 0-2-0 in exhibition games after losing 4-3 to the Anaheim Ducks and 6-4 to the Calgary Flames. However, the Sharks will give preseason debuts to goalie Martin Jones and new franchise Captain Logan Couture tonight as they continue to cement their roster for the regular season.

For the Golden Knights, tonight will also see a strong roster take to the ice as Head Coach Gerard Gallant continues the process of finalizing his roster for opening night, which will be against the Sharks at the T-Mobile Center on Oct, 2.

Marc-Andre Fleury will be involved tonight and he will get the start in goal with Dylan Ferguson backing him up, while established veterans in the ilk of Reilly Smith, Max Pacioretty and Cody Eakin will also play tonight.

Here are the rosters for both the San Jose Sharks and the Vegas Golden Knights ahead of tonight’s preseason game:

San Jose Sharks

Dalton Prout (D)

Dylan Gambrell (F)

Jonny Brodzinski (F)

Mario Ferraro (D)

Logan Couture (F)

Antti Suomela (F)

Marc-Edouard Vlasic (D)

Lean Bergmann (F)

Lukas Radil (F)

Nick DeSimone (D)

Kevin Labanc (F)

Jake Middleton (D)

Melker Karlsson (F)

Alex True (F)

Nikolai Knyzhov (D)

Noah Gregor (F)

Danil Yurtaykin (F)

Jeremy Roy (D)

Maxim Letunov (F)

Jayden Halbgewachs (F)

Aaron Dell (G)

Martin Jones (G)

LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 19: Alex Tuch #89 of the Vegas Golden Knights and Joakim Ryan #6 of the Los Angeles Kings look on as Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick #32 attempts to make the save during the third period of the preseason game at STAPLES Center on September 19, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NHLI via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 19: Alex Tuch #89 of the Vegas Golden Knights and Joakim Ryan #6 of the Los Angeles Kings look on as Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick #32 attempts to make the save during the third period of the preseason game at STAPLES Center on September 19, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Vegas Golden Knights

Zach Whitecloud (D)

Brayden McNabb (D)

Jimmy Schuldt (D)

Valentin Zykov (F)

Cody Glass (F)

Nicolas Roy (F)

Jon Merrill (D)

Reilly Smith (F)

Cody Eakin (F)

Nick Holden (D)

William Carrier (F)

Reid Duke (F)

Dylan Coghlan (D)

Keegan Kolesar (F)

Max Pacioretty (F)

Brandon Pirri (F)

Alex Tuch (F)

Tomas Nosek (F)

Dylan Ferguson (G)

Marc-Andre Fleury (G)

Here are some quick notes on the game:

  • Marc-Andre Fleury will make his preseason debut tonight and the game will allow the future Hall of Famer to blow off the summer cobwebs, get dialled in and regain his sharpness. Dylan Ferguson will back him up after both Garret Sparks and Oscar Dansk were placed on waivers today in the hope of clearing.
  • A lot of the focus will be on Cody Eakin as he returns to the scene of those painful Game 7 memories. Eakin was of course assessed a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for cross-checking Joe Pavelski. It was a controversial decision and it led to the Sharks scoring four power play goals in as many frantic minutes, with the Knights eventually losing in Overtime. It will be interesting to see the reaction Eakin receives from the home crowd tonight and how he reacts to it.
  •  Golden Knights Head Coach Gerard Gallant has confirmed that the final two preseason games will be used as dress rehearsals for the regular season, meaning that there is limited opportunity for certain players to impress. Elite prospect Cody Glass will play center between Max Pacioretty and Alex Tuch tonight as he continues to battle for a roster spot, while Dylan Coghlan, Jimmy Schuldt and Zach Whitecloud will have another chance to stake a claim for the final blueline spot.
  • With established veterans on both sides playing tonight, expect plenty of snarl from these two teams given the rivalry that has quickly been developed. It won’t be your typical preseason game and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see one or two bouts at some point.

Next. Karlsson, Theodore back at practice. dark

Golden Knights fans in Vegas can watch tonight’s fourth preseason bout on KTNV Channel 13 and FOX Sports Radio 98.9/1340, fans in Reno can watch the game on the Nevada Sports Network, or supporters in Salt Lake can watch the game on 14-KJZZ.

Home/Analysis