SAN JOSE — Ethan Cardwell will play Friday, but Mikael Granlund’s availability remains a game-time decision as the San Jose Sharks get set to face the Seattle Kraken to close a four-game homestand.
Granlund will participate in pregame warmups Friday before a decision is finalized on whether he’ll play against Seattle in the season’s first meeting between the two teams. The Kraken (11-11-1) have won six of its last nine games and enter Friday two points out of a playoff spot.
Granlund has missed the Sharks’ last two games because of an upper-body injury. San Jose beat Los Angeles 7-2 on Monday but lost 4-3 to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday.
Granlund, who leads the Sharks (7-13-5) with 24 points in 23 games, participated fully in Thursday’s practice, skating on a line with Tyler Toffoli and Will Smith. Luke Kunin and Alexander Wennberg were given maintenance days on Thursday, but both will dress against the Kraken.
Cardwell, recalled from the San Jose Barracuda on Thursday after Barclay Goodrow was placed on injured reserve with an upper-body ailment, will play against the Kraken in his fourth career NHL game.
In Thursday’s practice, Cardwell skated on a line with Nico Sturm and Klim Kostin, but Warsofsky couldn’t say who Cardwell’s linemates would be Friday, likely because Granlund’s status remained in question.
The Sharks are 1-2-0 on this homestand and have won just two of their last nine games. They enter Friday in 14th place in the Western Conference standings, just one point ahead of Chicago and Anaheim.
Despite that, there have been some positive recent developments with the Sharks’ younger players. William Eklund has a team-leading eight points in the last seven games, and Macklin Celebrini has seven. Will Smith is also finding a rhythm, with five points in six games, including two points each against the Kings and Senators.
“We knew he was going to go through this development phase. Him and Macklin are on little different plans, different paths, and there’s nothing wrong with that, and that’s the biggest thing,” Warsofsky said.
“You can judge yourself against Mack and other players in the league, and we just try to get him to focus himself on what he needs to work on with the puck, without the puck.”
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