CALGARY — Joonas Donskoi is expected to rejoin the Sharks lineup Thursday, injecting some much-needed offensive creativity into the team’s forward group as it kicks off a crucial three-game stretch through Western Canada.
Donskoi, who has missed six games with an upper-body injury, will likely rejoin Logan Couture’s line for the Sharks (16-10-3) when they meet the Calgary Flames (16-12-3) in an important Pacific Division game.
“He creates a lot with the puck, creates a lot of offense,” Couture said. “There’s not many players (on the Sharks) that can create offense on their own, but he’s in that group. We’ve missed him.”
The timing of Donskoi’s injury couldn’t have been worse for a Sharks team that ranks 25th in goals per game (2.68) and 30th in five-on-five offense (43 goals).
After Donskoi suffered through a sophomore slump last season, head coach Pete DeBoer called him out by name in training camp, insisting he would need to put together a bounce back season to help the Sharks absorb the loss of Patrick Marleau’s offensive production. Donskoi delivered through his first 23 games, ranking second on the team in goals (7) and first in shot attempts percentage (57.97 percent).
The 25-year-old Finn had solidified DeBoer’s top-six forward group, producing four points in five games on Couture’s line before he suffered the injury against the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 28.
But Donskoi’s injury wasn’t all bad news.
The Sharks produced a 3-2-1 record without Donskoi, scoring 18 goals in the process.
Eight forwards scored during Donskoi’s absence, helping the team absorb his short-term loss.
“We have some depth,” DeBoer said. “We have the ability to plug guys in and have some interchangeability to our lineup. Someone’s misfortune is someone else’s opportunity, and I thought some guys filled that role, and some of our big guys stepped up, too.”
2. DeBoer gives Dell a major endorsement.
When a team plays back-to-back games on the road, a coach will usually start his No. 1 goalie against the stronger opponent. But DeBoer is defying conventional wisdom in a pair of crucial division games this week.
The Sharks coach is electing to start Alberta-native Aaron Dell against the Flames on Thursday and Martin Jones in his hometown of Vancouver on Friday night.
Team Teal is tied with the Flames for third place in the Pacific Division with 35 points and they hold a three-point lead over the Vancouver (14-14-4), which has lost four games by a combined score of 20-5 since offensive catalyst Bo Horvat went down with a foot injury Dec. 5.
Despite the elevated importance of Thursday’s game, DeBoer didn’t hesitate to give the crease to his backup goalie, who’s carrying a 1.72 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage into the start.
“He deserves to play,” the Sharks coach said. “He always gives us a good game, regardless of where he is.”
Dell, who grew up in Airdrie, Alberta, which is just north of Calgary, attended Flames and junior hockey games at the Scotiabank Saddledome throughout his youth. He even watched a young Martin Jones play the goalie position for the Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen during his junior hockey career.
“I watched a decent amount of games here growing up,” said Dell, who lost his only start in Calgary last season. “It’s a pretty cool experience to come back.”
3. Staying above the pack.
The Sharks playoff fate isn’t going to be decided in December, but they can improve their chances by staying above the pack with five-straight division games heading into the Christmas break.
San Jose is tied with Calgary, the Minnesota Wild and the Chicago Blackhawks at 35 points. They’re two points ahead of the Anaheim Ducks, who’ve played most of the first half without Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler, and they lead the underperforming Edmonton Oilers by seven points.
“We’ve got to create separation,” Couture said. “These points are so huge. We’ve got to find a way to grab some points on the road.”
Although the Western Conference will undoubtedly stay tight throughout the season, the Sharks know how just how challenging it can be to make up ground in the second half of the season, especially when the number of three-point games shoots up across the league.
“You want to put as many points in the bank as you can because it definitely gets harder to move once the season gets deeper, especially after Christmas,” DeBoer said.
