Sharks’ Alex Wennberg ready to return on Sunday vs. Flames
San Jose Sharks center Alex Wennberg announced on Wednesday that he’ll be ready to return to the lineup on Sunday when the Sharks return to action against the Calgary Flames.
Wennberg says he'll be ready to play on Sunday when #SJSharks start up the season again in Calgary.
Wennberg & Sturm were both full participants in practice for a second-straight day
Wennberg had missed the Sharks’ final four games before the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off due to an upper-body injury he sustained on January 27th during the team’s 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was labelled as day-to-day at the time, but did not get into a game before the break, and with nearly three weeks off, he appears to be ready to go.
Wennberg has been producing at his usual rate in his first season with the Sharks. In 52 games, he has 8 goals and 15 assists for 23 points.
Based on the lines ran during Wednesday’s practice, Wennberg is slated to slot into the second-line center position on Sunday alongside Fabian Zetterlund and Will Smith. The trio have kept the game scoreless and have an 81.63% 5v5 expected goal share in 8:24 of ice time together.
Center Nico Sturm was also a full participant in Wednesday’s practice, although his status for Sunday’s game has yet to be determined. He had missed the past eight games for the Sharks after sustaining a lower-body injury on January 20th in the Sharks’ 6-3 loss to the Boston Bruins. Sturm will need to be activated off of injured reserve if he were to return to the lineup.
Like Wennberg, Sturm has also been producing at his usual rate this season when he’s been healthy. In 41 games, he has 5 goals and 6 assists for 11 points.
The Sharks currently sit in last place in the NHL with a 15-35-7 record. They’ll look to snap their four-game losing streak when they visit the Flames in Calgary on Sunday at 5 p.m. PST.