By james art Center William Karlsson will make his season debut, but defenseman Nick Hague will not be in the lineup when the Golden Knights face the San Jose Sharks on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.
Karlsson will make his first appearance this season after being sidelined since September 21 with an undisclosed injury. The injury forced Karlsson to miss the entire preseason and the Knights’ first eight games.
He will center the third line with left wing Tanner Pearson and right wing Alexander Holtz.
“I like Pearson’s game wherever he’s been,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “I like his ability to play on the walls and get people the puck, so he already has a center that performs well.”
Karlsson’s return means center Cole Schwind will be out of the lineup. Left wing Brendan Brisson will move to the fourth line, a move Cassidy hopes will see Brisson play more north-south.
Haig is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury he suffered in Friday’s 6-4 win over the Ottawa Senators.
Defender Kaedan Korczak will step in for him and make his second appearance in three games. Korczak will skate with Brayden McNabb, as he did Tuesday, with Shea Theodore returning to the left to skate with Zach Whitecloud.
With Sunday off, The Hague will be reassessed on Monday.
“Anytime you can get in the lineup, it’s an opportunity,” Korczak said.
Goalkeeper Ilya Samsonov will start for the fourth time this season. He recorded 34 saves Tuesday in a 6-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings.
The Knights (5-2-1) are looking for their sixth straight win at home against winless San Jose.
The Sharks (0-6-2) will be without No. 1 pick Maclin Celebrini. The center suffered a lower-body injury in his NHL debut and is considered week-to-week.
Goalkeeper Vitek Vanecek will start for San Jose.
Predicted line-up
Ivan Barbashev — Jack Eichel — Mark Stone
Brett Howden — Thomas Hertl — Pavel Dorofeev
Tanner Pearson — William Carlson — Alexander Holtz
Brendan Brisson – Nicolas Roy – Keegan Kolesar
Noah Hannifin — Alex Pietrangelo
Shea Theodore — Zach Whitecloud
Braden McNabb — Kaedan Korczak
Ilya Samsonov
Contact Danny Webster at [email protected]. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
Next up
■ What: Sharks at Golden Knights
■ When: 7pm Saturday
■ Where: T-Mobile Arena
■ TV: KMCC-34
■ Radio: KKGK (98.9 FM, 1340 AM)
■ Line: Knights -334; a total of 6