Warsofsky makes lineup change as Sharks face Islanders to end homestand
SAN JOSE — Philipp Kurashev had assists in three of his last four games, but will be a healthy scratch Saturday when the San Jose Sharks face the New York Islanders to finish a six-game homestand.
With the Sharks looking to bounce back from their 3-2 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues on Friday, Ryan Warsofsky will insert Ryan Reaves into the lineup to face the Islanders.
Warsofsky said Kurashev has played well, but wanted to bring some fresh legs into the lineup in a back-to-back situation. Reaves hasn’t played since Feb. 26, when the Sharks lost 4-1 to the Calgary Flames to open the homestand.
Kurashev assisted on Kiefer Sherwood’s third-period game-winning goal in the Sharks’ 7-5 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. On Friday against the St. Louis Blues, Kurashev also set up Sherwood’s third-period game-tying goal.
Kurashev has 20 points in 39 games with the Sharks this season. A lower-body injury he sustained in December kept him out for 20 games.
The Sharks are 3-1-1 on this homestand and entered Saturday two games out of a playoff spot.
In the first five games of the Sharks’ homestand, Kurashev, who also plays on the Sharks’ second power play unit, had three assists and averaged 16 minutes in ice time.
“He’s a hell of a player,” Sherwood said. “There’s a reason he was in the Olympics, right? He’s got some great poise, so I’ve got to do a good job, too, of finding him when he gets open. But he’s a great player, has a high IQ, and has shown that for a while.”
Adam Gaudette will take Kurashev’s spot on the Sharks’ second line with Sherwood and center Alex Wennberg. Reaves will play alongside Zack Ostapchuk and Barclay Goodrow on the fourth line.
NOLAN TO PLAY?
Warsofsky said a couple of Sharks defensemen are “nicked up,” so there were a couple of game-time decisions in terms of who would dress Saturday. Nolan Allan, recalled from the Barracuda on Saturday, could play against the Islanders, Warsofsky said, and make his Sharks debut.
The Sharks acquired the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Allan, goalie Laurent Brossoit, and a 2028 seventh-round draft pick in January for defenseman Jake Furlong, a 2028 fourth-round draft pick, and the contract of defenseman Ryan Ellis.
Allan had two goals and eight assists in 20 games with the Barracuda, including two assists in the team’s 4-1 win in Milwaukee on Friday night.
Asked why the Sharks promoted Allan and not fan favorite Luca Cagnoni, Warsofsky said, “That’s who we decided to go with, in talking to (Grier), and (Allan’s) been playing pretty well down there.”
Cagnoni has 33 points in 51 games for the Barracuda this season before Saturday. In his last 10 games, Cagnoni had two goals and five assists.