Preview/Lines #55: Poturalski Getting His Shot


Andrew Poturalski is going to get a real shot tonight.

The decorated AHL veteran, 31, fresh off his third appearance at an AHL All-Star Classic, is going to be given first crack at replacing just-traded San Jose Sharks’ leading scorer Mikael Granlund at center.

Head coach Ryan Warsofsky, who coached Poturalski on the Calder Cup-winning Chicago Wolves in 2021-22, believes this opportunity has been a long time coming.

“Usually, when he goes up, he’s playing that fourth-line center role, and that’s not really the role for him where he can succeed in,” Warsofsky said.

The top NHL betting sites aren’t bullish on either team but gave the Montreal Canadiens a slight edge. The upstart Montreal squad is a couple of years ahead of the Sharks’ rebuild and is in the Eastern Conference playoff fight, but it has recently slumped as the games get tougher and the schedule gets shorter.

For the last seven seasons, the 5-foot-10 Poturalski has been a Point Per Game player in the AHL, but he’s only received six NHL games over parts of three years with the Carolina Hurricanes and Seattle Kraken, netting a pair of assists. And in Seattle last season, he only got 6:53 a night in two games.

But Warsofsky is tapping the AHL’s scoring champion in 2022 and leading scorer this season to be his second-line center tonight.

“We got to put him in a position to succeed, give an opportunity, and see what we can do with it,” Warsofsky said. “He’s a guy that can play in that role, because he can play with the puck. He can make plays.”

“Just got to go out and execute,” Poturalski said, “and prove that I can play here.”

“I don’t know if he’s ever gotten this type of opportunity,” Warsofsky said. “I think he’s deserved this opportunity.”

San Jose Sharks (15-33-6)

Warsofsky says that Alexandar Georgiev will start, Poturalski will play second-line center, and Henry Thrun will play with Jake Walman.

Based on yesterday’s practice lines, this is a guess at tonight’s lines:

Eklund-Celebrini-Toffoli
Zetterlund-Poturalski-Smith
Graf-Kunin-Goodrow
Grundstrom-White-Duehr

Walman-Thrun
Ferraro-Thompson
Mukhamadullin-Liljegren

Georgiev

Tyler Toffoli, officially, is a game-time decision, but he seems likely to play.

Montreal Canadiens (24-23-5)

Go to Montreal Hockey Now for all your Montreal Canadiens lines and updates.

Where To Watch

Puck drop between the San Jose Sharks and Montreal Canadiens is 7:30 PM PT at SAP Center. Watch it live on NBC Sports California. Listen to it on the Sharks Audio Network.



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