The Hawks are finally back on home ice and ready to kick off a four-game homestand against the San Jose Sharks. Last season at home, the Hawks finished with a 16-21-4 record, and considering how poor their play on the road was, that number looks fantastic. No matter the status of the team, the home opener always has a great feel to it and really hits home the fact that hockey season is finally back.
The Sharks come into this one looking for their first win of the year with a record of 0-1-2. The real bummer about this one is we won't get to see the battle of first overalls as this year's first overall pick, Macklin Celebrini, has been on the injured reserve with a lower body injury. However, fear not, there is still an exciting prospect to check out as Will Smith, the 2023 fourth overall pick, is set to play in his fourth career game. The Sharks turn to Vitek Vanecek in net; it will be his second start of the season. He played a stellar game against the Ducks, stopping 28 of 29 shots for a.966 save percentage, but wasn’t able to get any help from the Sharks as they were shutout 2-0.
The Hawks come into this one on a four-game winning streak against the Sharks dating back to February 25, 2023, and are 13-5-2 in their last 20 against San Jose at the UC.
Not much change for the offensive group here; Lukas Reichel will make his season debut after being healthy scratched for the first four games of the year. Hopefully he takes advantage of the opportunity and shows why he should be in this lineup regularly.
On the back end, Nolan Allan will draw back into the lineup and skate with Connor Murphy. The Hawks have placed Alec Martinez on the IR, which will see Alex Vlasic paired back up with Seth Jones and Wyatt Kaiser sliding in with TJ Brodie.
To no surprise, Petr Mrazek will get the start in this one. He is coming off of two really good starts and looks to keep the trend going against a very beatable team.
Puck drop is set for 7:30pm Central time and will be carried on CHSN locally. As Always, Lets Go Hawks!
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