Sharks at Flames preview
True, Letunov to each make NHL debut for San Jose; Calgary 2-3-1 in past six games
by Aaron Vickers / NHL.com Independent Correspondent
SHARKS (22-27-4) at FLAMES (27-20-6)
9 p.m. ET; SNW, NBCSCA, NHL.TV
The Game
Centers Alexander True and Maxim Letunov each is expected to make his NHL debut for the San Jose Sharks when they visit the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome on Tuesday.
True, who signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Sharks on July 18, 2018, has 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists) in 40 games this season with San Jose of the American Hockey League. He was recalled Monday.
Letunov, acquired in a trade with the Arizona Coyotes on June 20, 2016, has 30 points (10 goals, 20 assists) in 39 AHL games this season. He was recalled Saturday.
The Sharks are 1-5-0 in their past six games and have been outscored 24-10 after going 5-2-1 in their previous eight games.
The Flames are 2-3-1 in their past six games following a five-game winning streak.
Players to watch
Sharks forward Patrick Marleau needs one goal to pass Mike Modano (561) for sole possession of 25th place on the NHL all-time list.
Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk has four points (two goals, two assists) in a three-game point streak and leads Calgary with 42 points (17 goals, 25 assists) in 52 games.
They said it
"For us, it's just about trying to win games and get some points and get on a roll so we can make a big push here. Start with one good win here. It's going to be a tough challenge tonight for us." -- Sharks forward Patrick Marleau
"It's exciting. It's also challenging. You lose one game and you're almost out of the playoffs. You have to take it one game at a time, as boring as that sounds. That's how you have to approach it and move on. It's exciting times. It's fun to be in a battle with a bunch of teams. -- Flames center Mikael Backlund
Sharks projected lineup
Evander Kane -- Barclay Goodrow -- Patrick Marleau
Timo Meier -- Joe Thornton -- Kevin Labanc
Melker Karlsson -- Alexander True -- Stefan Noesen
Marcus Sorensen -- Maxim Letunov -- Dylan Gambrell
Marc-Edouard Vlasic -- Erik Karlsson
Brenden Dillon -- Brent Burns
Radim Simek -- Mario Ferraro
Aaron Dell
Martin Jones
Scratched: Antti Suomela, Tim Heed
Injured: Logan Couture (fractured ankle), Tomas Hertl (knee), Dalton Prout (upper body), Joel Kellman (lower body)
Flames projected lineup
Andrew Mangiapane -- Elias Lindholm -- Matthew Tkachuk
Johnny Gaudreau -- Sean Monahan -- Buddy Robinson
Mark Jankowski -- Mikael Backlund -- Sam Bennett
Milan Lucic -- Derek Ryan -- Dillon Dube
Mark Giordano -- Rasmus Andersson
TJ Brodie -- Travis Hamonic
Noah Hanifin -- Michael Stone
David Rittich
Cam Talbot
Scratched: Tobias Rieder, Zac Rinaldo, Oliver Kylington
Injured: None
Status report
The Flames held an optional morning skate. … Stone will play after sitting nine games as a healthy scratch.
Stat pack
Kane will play his 700th NHL game. … Burns is one point from 500 with the Sharks. … Thornton needs two points to become the 14th player in NHL history to reach 1,500 points. … Lindholm has three points (two goals, one assist) in a three-game point streak.