Eklund exited last Monday's game with an upper-body injury after playing only 7:39 time-on-ice and has not played since. The 22-year-old forward is averaging 19:43 time-on-ice and has 27 points (7G / 20A) in 36 games this season.

Sturm is battling an undisclosed ailment and his status for Saturday's game against the New Jersey Devils is up in the air. The 36-year-old Sturm is averaging 9:43 time-on-ice and has nine points (4G / 5A) in 36 games this season.

The Sharks are amid their second eight-game losing skid of the season and will attempt to return to the win column with Askarov between the pipes on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Askarov played well in his most recent outing, saving 30 of 32 shots (.938 SV%) in a 3-1 loss to the Calgary Flames. The 22-year-old Askarov has a 2.62 GAA and .915 SV% in five NHL games this season (1-2-2). The Sharks enter Thursday's contest as sizeable +227 road underdogs against a Lightning club coming off a 5-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

With Marc-Edouard Vlasic (back) making his season debut on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lighting, Mukhamadullin will be sidelined as a healthy scratch. The 22-year-old Mukhamadullin is averaging 15:27 time-on-ice and has one goal in eight games this season.

Vlasic has missed all 40 games to start the season due to a back injury but will finally debut on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 37-year-old stay-at-home defenseman is entering his 19th NHL season (all with San Jose) after putting up six goals, 12 points and a -27 plus/minus in 57 games played in 2023-24.

The Sharks are amid their second eight-game losing skid of the season and will attempt to return to the win column with Askarov between the pipes on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Askarov played well in his most recent outing, saving 30 of 32 shots (.938 SV%) in a 3-1 loss to the Calgary Flames. The 22-year-old Askarov has a 2.62 GAA and .915 SV% in five NHL games this season (1-2-2). The Sharks enter Thursday's contest as sizeable +227 road underdogs against a Lightning club coming off a 5-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

Grundstrom exited Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Calgary Flames after only 1:34 time-on-ice due to an undisclosed injury and has not played since. The 27-year-old forward has five points (1G / 4A) in 30 games this season.

Amid a seven-game losing skid, the Sharks hope to return to the win column on New Year's Eve with Georgiev between the pipes. Georgiev has allowed four or more goals in three straight (0-3-0), posting an ugly .869 SV%. The Sharks enter Tuesday's contest as +150 home underdogs against a Philadelphia Flyers club that defeated them 4-3 in a shootout on November 11th.

Eklund exited last Monday's game with an upper-body injury after playing only 7:39 time-on-ice and has not played since. The 22-year-old forward is averaging 19:43 time-on-ice and has 27 points (7G / 20A) in 36 games this season. In a corresponding move, the Sharks recalled Collin Graf from the San Jose Barracuda (AHL).

Graf made his NHL debut last season, scoring two points (0G / 2A) in seven games with the Sharks. The undrafted 22-year-old, a product of Quinnipiac University, has 26 points (6G / 20A) in 29 games with the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) this season.

Andrei Kuzmenko will be a healthy scratch on Tuesday against the Vancouver Canucks, allowing Duehr to re-enter the lineup. The 27-year-old Duehr is averaging 9:07 time-on-ice and has one points (0G / 1A) in 10 games this season.

Kovalenko was a healthy scratch in Saturday's game vs. the Flames, but he'll replace Carl Grundstrom (undisclosed) in Tuesday's lineup. Since joining the Sharks, Kovalenko has picked up five assists and four shots in eight games.

Grundstrom exited Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Calgary Flames after only 1:34 time-on-ice due to an undisclosed injury. The 27-year-old forward has five points (1G / 4A) in 30 games this season.