Projected lineups for Sharks at Canadiens list igor chernyshov on San Jose’s top line with Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, while Montreal projects a full set of forward combinations and several scratches and injury notes ahead of the matchup.
Projected Lineups: San Jose Sharks And Montreal Canadiens
San Jose projected forwards (top three lines and fourth line):
Igor Chernyshov — Macklin Celebrini — Will Smith
Collin Graf — Alexander Wennberg — Kiefer Sherwood
William Eklund — Michael Misa — Tyler Toffoli
Barclay Goodrow — Zack Ostapchuk – Adam Gaudette
Scratched: Pavol Regenda, Nick Leddy, Philipp Kurashev, Ryan Reaves
Injured: Ty Dellandrea (lower body), Yaroslav Askarov (lower body)
Montreal projected forwards (top four lines):
Cole Caufield — Nick Suzuki — Juraj Slafkovsky
Alex Newhook — Oliver Kapanen — Ivan Demidov
Zachary Bolduc — Jake Evans — Kirby Dach
Alexandre Texier — Phillip Danault — Josh Anderson
Scratched: Arber Xhekaj, Joe Veleno, Brendan Gallagher
Igor Chernyshov, Injuries and Game Notes
igor chernyshov is listed atop San Jose’s forward group, remaining in the first-line center spot opposite Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith. There will be some game-time decisions regarding the Sharks’ lineup, coach Ryan Warsofsky said, underscoring potential late changes for San Jose.
Key roster and availability items noted in the projected groups include: Brossoit was recalled from San Jose of the American Hockey League on Friday and is expected to back up Nedeljkovic. Askarov will not dress Saturday or at the Ottawa Senators on Sunday. Cole Caufield returns after missing a 3-2 win at the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday because of the flu. Brendan Gallagher will be a healthy scratch against San Jose but will play against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday. Alexendre Texier will move from the top line to the fourth line.
The line deployments and the listed scratches and injuries set expectations for both benches: San Jose carries several players as scratches and two players listed as injured with lower-body issues, while Montreal shows a rotation that includes a returning Cole Caufield and a lineup shift that moves Texier to the fourth line.
Final rosters and any game-time changes are likely to be confirmed closer to puck drop, but the published projections give a clear view of how both clubs plan to deploy their primary forward groups and handle goaltender depth for the upcoming pair of games referenced in the notes.
