The Sharks will be without injured defensemen Marc-Edouard Vlasic (face) and David Schlemko (upper body). Defenseman Mirco Mueller, the 18th pick of the 2013 NHL Draft, will make his season debut on the third pair with Dylan DeMelo. Vlasic, who was placed on injured reserve Monday, will miss his second straight game. He was hit in the face by a shot from Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere during the third period of a 2-0 win Friday. Schlemko was injured against the Kings on Saturday. Mueller has one goal, three assists and a minus-12 rating in 50 NHL games. His last game was April 9, 2016, the final regular-season game of 2015-16. He has eight assists in 25 games with the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League. "He's earned the right to get up here and just do what all the other young guys that have stepped into the lineup have done, just play your game and help contribute," coach Peter DeBoer said. "We're confident he can do that." Goaltender Martin Jones will play for the ninth time against the Kings, his former team. He's 5-2-1 with a 2.24 goals-against average and .920 save percentage in his previous eight games against them. The Sharks won the first two games in the season series against the Kings before losing Saturday. "This is a response game for us," DeBoer said. "When we've had success against this team, it's when we've put our work boots on and been prepared and gone nose to nose with them in the trenches. There's nowhere to hide when you're playing the L.A. Kings. You got to be willing to do that and I think we will be tonight."
