San Jose Sharks defenseman Jaycob Megna skates with the puck in opposition to the Pittsburgh Penguins throughout the second interval of an NHL hockey sport in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022. (AP Picture/Jeff Chiu)
Jake Middleton is slowly recovering from a concussion he suffered earlier this month and Sharks coach Bob Boughner stated there’s an out of doors probability the defenseman may return to the lineup previous to the NHL’s all-star break early subsequent month.
Every time Middleton, who was damage Jan. 4, does return, even whether it is in mid-February after the Sharks’ 12-day break between video games, it seems Boughner and his employees may have some selections to make as to who stays within the lineup on the again finish.
Boughner has been impressed with each Jaycob Megna and Ryan Merkley since they had been each given possibilities to play within the first week of January. Megna will probably be within the lineup for the eighth-straight sport Thursday when the Sharks play the Seattle Kraken, and Merkley will gown for his seventh consecutive sport.
Boughner has particularly appreciated the way in which Megna, at 6-foot-6 and 220 kilos, has performed with Erik Karlsson over the past two weeks with Middleton unavailable.
“He’s a gentle affect again there and I feel that (Karlsson) and he play off one another a bit bit, very similar to (Karlsson and Middleton),” Boughner stated of Megna. “He’s taken essentially the most of this chance and he deserves to be in there each night time, and he’s actually made some onerous selections for us.
“He’s a man that may play on plenty of groups.”
The 2, per Pure Stat Trick, had a Corsi-for proportion of 55.7 earlier than Thursday, and so they’ve created greater than twice as many scoring possibilities (40) as they’ve allowed (18) at even energy since they’ve been collectively.
“I’m simply doing my greatest to make issues simpler on him, and he, clearly, can go to his full offensive potential and make performs,” Megna stated of Karlsson. “I’m sort of simply the security valve for him. I feel it’s dynamic with him being such skater and wanting to leap in, and me sort of being the stay-at-home man.
“It’s a dynamic I’ve had plenty of occasions in my profession, so it’s positively labored out to date and simply attempting to maintain it going.”
Megna and Merkley’s latest play has saved two different wholesome defensemen – Radim Simek and Nicolas Meloche – within the press field, and each will once more be wholesome scratches Thursday.
Megna, 29, dressed for six straight video games from Oct. 30 to Nov. 11 when the Sharks had been hit with a COVID-19 outbreak that affected 4 defensemen – Karlsson, Simek, Middleton and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. When these gamers returned, Megna and Merkley had been returned to the Barracuda.
Now if the Sharks get totally wholesome once more, Megna desires to ensure he’s doing what he can to stick with the large membership. He’ll should clear waivers once more if the Sharks wish to reassign him to the Barracuda, whereas Merkley doesn't require waivers.
Megna turned professional in 2014 and has performed 368 regular-season video games within the AHL versus 56 video games within the NHL earlier than Thursday. He signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Sharks in July.
Earlier than this 12 months, Megna’s final NHL video games got here with the Anaheim Geese within the second half of the 2018-19 season.
“The largest factor for me is simply attempting to make the most of the chance I've proper now,” stated Megna, now in his eighth season as an expert. “I do know they don’t come round that always.”
LINEUP CHANGE: Adam Raska will re-enter the Sharks’ lineup Thursday instead of Lane Pederson, who will probably be a wholesome scratch for the fourth time within the final 5 video games. Pederson had a shot on objective in 11:20 of ice time within the Sharks’ 6-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Monday and has simply two assists in 21 video games this season.
Requested what's lacking from Pederson’s sport in the intervening time, Boughner stated, “Consistency, particulars. I believed he performed OK (vs. L.A.). Ran just a few incorrect routes,” Boughner stated. “When he jumps over the boards, you’ve bought to know what to anticipate each night time and that’s part of his sport he must work on.”
Raska made his NHL debut on Jan. 11 in opposition to Detroit. He additionally dressed for the Sharks’ video games in opposition to the Rangers and Penguins earlier than he was scratched for Monday’s sport.
GOALIE PLAN: Adin Hill, having his greatest month with the Sharks, is beginning Thursday’s sport and Boughner stated James Reimer will begin Saturday’s dwelling sport with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
In his first six video games this month. Hill went 3-1-1 with a .922 save proportion, elevating his season totals to 9-10-1 and .906. Reimer, in his first sport in shut to 2 weeks after he recuperated from a lower-body damage, had 39 saves within the Sharks’ 6-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Monday.