San Jose – After playing his first game in more than two weeks, Nikolai Kovalenko was asked what he would like to do differently on Wednesday when the San Jose Sharks face Minnesota Wild.
“It depends,” Kovalenko said Monday. “Will I play or not?”
Nothing is guaranteed, considering that Kalenko only returned to the alignment for Monday’s game against the Calgary Flames after the extreme and the top scorer of goals Toffoli stayed out with an injury at the bottom of the body. The place of Kalenko Tok Toffoli along with the outstanding rookies Will Smith and Macklin Celebini.
However, Kalenko, in his first game since March 22, caused some positive criticisms of the Sharks coach, Ryan Warsofsky, after the defeat of the 3-2 team before the flames in SAP Center.
Playing again on a paper among the top six, Kovalenko admitted some mistakes, but also helped in the first period of Smith, had three hits and ended with 15:39 in ice time, the most that is like a shark was a talto of health for the games in a row.
“He played well tonight,” Warsofsky or Kalenko said. “We will see tomorrow tomorrow.”
Kovalenko was playing with Smith and Celebini on Monday. But his mandate in San José has been unequal, at best, since he reached the sharks in December in a multidraft multidraft selection trade that sent goalkeeper Mackenzie Blackwood to the avalanche of Colorado.
After an encouraging beginning with sharks, Kovalenko Dalt with injuries, a reduced ice time and multiple healthy scratches in its first full season of the NHL. The third line end, Cam Lund, has now played in seven consecutive games with a beautiful alignment place, since he left the northeast after his third year last month and signed his entry level contract.
WarsoFsky’s recent message to Kovalenko? “I think that every time you are on the ice, it is a practice, if it is a morning skate, that is your game,” he said. “You are always being evaluated.”
Kovalenko said that staying strongly has been key to him.
“For all those who have perfect muscles, perfect speed, perfect skill for NHL, and the mental (side) is simply more important,” he said. “I try to work (light) with a therapist. So, try to work with them and try to work with myself very well.”
Continuing with Wednesday’s game in Minnesota, which starts a four -game road trip for sharks, Kovalenko said he wants to continue “concentrating on my game. He tries to help my teammates score or open faster. A couple of times, I made mistakes today, so I need to be a little emarter when I am tired, because my minds I am tired when I am tired when I am tired.
Kovalenko, a pending restricted free agent, now has 10 points in 24 games with sharks this season. From the prospect of sharks, it was a large part of the return in the Blackwood agreement, which also obtained goalkeeper Alexandar Georgiev and the selection of the second round of 2026 of Colorado, so that the bras of San José would love to see Kovalenko Becalenkoer.
He is an uncle if Toffoli can return to play against nature. Sharks also have the next road games against Oilers on Friday, The Flames on Sunday and the Vancouver Canucks next Monday. Sharks then close the season at home on April 16 against the Oilers.
When Toffoli returns, Kovalenko could move to the third or fourth line or out of the alignment of sharks completely.
Whatever happens, Kovalenko wants to enjoy what is left of this season. Despite the ups and downs, it seems to enjoy San José.
“I’m never thinking of showing my skills or something,” he said. “I think it is more important to enjoy every time, enjoy the game, enjoy the moment. Sometimes the situations are not good, sometimes you are not playing. But I think we have a career not very long, like 20 years, maybe, perhaps, perhaps, maybe. To enjoy this great place.”
Record: Celebini helped in Smith’s two goals, giving him 35 assists in the season. That moved it, conforms to PAT Falloon for most assists for a rookie in the history of sharks (34). Celebini now has four assists in his last three games.
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