Danil Gushchin and every other player fighting for a spot on the Sharks’ charter flight to Europe on Saturday had one last chance to impress the team’s decision-makers.
Gushchin seemed to make a good argument, as he recorded a hat trick in San Jose’s 7-3 win at T-Mobile Arena on Friday over a Vegas Golden Knights team that featured mostly NHL players.
Gushchin, San Jose’s third-round draft pick in 2020, scored two even-strength goals in the second period and added an unassisted goal in the third as the Sharks’ preseason schedule came to an end Friday with split-squad games in Las Vegas and Anaheim.
The Sharks lost their other game Friday, as Logan Couture scored his team’s only goal in a 4-1 loss to the Ducks at Honda Center. Goalie Kaapo Kahkonen allowed three first-period goals and finished with 27 saves. San Jose also finished the game 1-for-5 with the man advantage.
Realistically, most of the Sharks’ traveling party had already been decided prior to Friday’s split-squad games. But a spot for another forward might open up if winger Alexander Barabanov is unable to fly with the team to Germany on Saturday afternoon.
Danil Gushchin gets his hat trick! pic.twitter.com/58YpctouLr
— Locked on Sharks (@LockedOnSharks) October 1, 2022
Barabanov hasn’t skated with the team or played in a game since he was injured in practice last Saturday in San Jose. What was originally thought to be a minor lower-body injury has not improved, and it was not publicly known as of Friday afternoon if Barabanov would travel with the team.
The Sharks can take a maximum of 27 players to Europe, an NHL spokesperson confirmed, so the team might be hesitant to bring Barabanov and injured defenseman Markus Nutivaara overseas if there was any question about whether they can play.
Nutivaara has a lower-body injury and is considered day-to-day.
The Sharks play an exhibition game against Eisbären Berlin at Mercedes-Benz Arena on Tuesday and begin the regular season with games next Friday and Saturday against the Nashville Predators at O2 Arena in Prague.
Friday against the Golden Knights, Luke Kunin once again took Barabanov’s spot on the Sharks’ top line with Meier and Tomas Hertl. Kunin scored and had a plus/minus rating of +3.
Meier had four assists, Hertl had two and Jonah Gadjovich had a goal and an assist. Matt Benning and Erik Karlsson also scored for San Jose and goalie James Reimer finished with 27 saves.
Center Nico Sturm was injured early in the second period and did not return to the game in Las Vegas after he absorbed a hit. Sturm, projected to be the Sharks’ fourth-line center, had just 5:48 of ice time.
If Kunin goes to the top line, the biggest question might be who takes his place on the third line. Thomas Bordeleau, William Eklund might be candidates, as could Gushchin, who finished the preseason with a team-high four goals.
“It’s an opportunity for all of these guys that have a chance to make the team, not just Bordeleau and Eklund,” Sharks coach David Quinn said Friday afternoon. “You’ve got to perform. That’s on them to give us a reason to keep them.”