SAN JOSE — Forward William Eklund will return to the lineup on Saturday when the San Jose Sharks play the New Jersey Devils, looking for their second consecutive win.
Eklund hasn’t played since Dec. 23, when he was injured in the Sharks’ game against the Vancouver Canucks. He will play on a line with Mikael Granlund and Fabian Zetterlund.
Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said Jake Walman (lower-body injury) will be placed on injured reserve to create a roster opening for Eklund, who is tied for second on the team with 27 points in 36 games. Granlund leads the Sharks with 35 points in 39 games. Rookie center Macklin Celebrini has 27 points in 29 games.
Sharks center Nico Sturm, considered questionable to play against the Devils, will be scratched. Luke Kunin will take Sturm’s spot as the Sharks’ fourth-line center. Sturm blocked a shot from defenseman Darren Raddysh in the first period of Thursday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning and did not skate Friday.
Goalie Yaroslav Askarov will start again for the Sharks after he made 24 saves in San Jose’s 2-1 win over the Lightning. Since rejoining the Sharks on Dec. 18, Askarov, in four games, is 1-2-1 with a .919 save percentage. Askarov was recalled from the Barracuda of the AHL after goalie Vitek Vanecek sustained a fractured cheek on Dec. 17 when he was hit in the face by a errant puck that had sailed into the bench.
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