The San Jose Sharks were looking for a bounce-back game in head coach Bob Boughner’s 300th NHL game as a coach — although there was no pre-game acknowledgment due to the fact that the Sharks were playing an away game at the Capital One Arena, where they would face-off against the Washington Capitals.
Jonah Gadjovich drew back in the line-up last minute when Rudolfs Balcers did not exit COVID Protocol ahead of the 4 p.m. PT start time as was anticipated, leaving Boughner to shuffle lines unexpectedly. Nicolas Meloche was slotted in as a response to Erik Karlsson’s absence (out until mid-March following his forearm surgery) and while Jake Middleton remained out, Radim Simek was back in.