The 23-year-old hasn't missed a beat since he made his season debut on November 1. Rakell finished the month tied for third among November leaders in goals (9) and tacked on his 10th of the season on December 3. The Ducks didn't take line rushes this morning, but it's likely he returns to his familiar left wing position alongside center Ryan Getzlaf and right wing Corey Perry.
"He's a talented young player who made an impression in his first game," said Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle. "He's carried that through from an offensive standpoint. We moved him up with Getzlaf and Perry, so there's a huge comfort zone with that line."
Jonathan Bernier is the expected starter for Anaheim. Bernier is 1-0 in two appearances against the Sharks this season, and brings an overall record of 4-2-1 into tonight's contest. He turned aside 21-of-23 shots in a 3-2 victory at SAP Center on November 26 and stopped 10-of-11 shots in the first period of the game on October 25 (2-1 OTL). Bernier left the game after the first period due to an upper-body injury and was relieved by John Gibson.
Martin Jones is the expected starter for San Jose, which concludes a back-to-back tomorrow night at home against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Sharks are coming off a 4-2 loss at SAP Center to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday which put an end to their three-game win streak. Despite the setback, the Sharks enter tonight's game with six wins over their past 10 games (6-3-1).
"This is a big statement game for us tonight," said Ducks left wing Joseph Cramarossa. "They're a great team. We're going to be coming out buzzing and it'll be up to them to handle our response. There's going to be give-and-take, but it's going to be a good one."
The Sharks made a roster move earlier today, recalling defenseman Mirco Mueller from the San Jose Barracuda (AHL). The 6-foot-3, 210-pound defenseman ranks third among Barracuda blueliners in assists (6) and fourth in points (6) through 17 games this season. Mueller has one goal and three assists in 50 career NHL games, but earlier today Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer said he hadn't made a decision on whether he plays tonight.
Potential Line Combinations
Anaheim
Rakell-Getzlaf-Perry
Cogliano-Kesler-Silfverberg
Ritchie-Vermette-Kase
Cramarossa-Noesen-Shaw
Fowler-Vatanen
Lindholm-Manson
Theodore-Bieksa
Bernier
Gibson
San Jose
Marleau-Thornton-Pavelski
Ward-Couture-Labanc
Donskoi-Tierney-Boedker
Haley-Wingels-Karlsson
Martin-Burns
Vlasic-Braun
Dillon-DeMelo
Jones
Dell
