OTTAWA \u2014 It looks like the San Jose Sharks could be hurting up the middle for a while.<\/p>\n
Head coach Ryan Warsofsky announced this afternoon that second-line center Alex Wennberg<\/a> has a week-to-week upper-body injury, which will be further evaluated when the team returns to San Jose at the end of the week. Wennberg will remain with the team until then.<\/p>\n Wennberg left the third period of the Oct. 19 game at the Toronto Maple Leafs twice.<\/p>\n Sharks tools<\/p>\n So that means the Sharks won\u2019t have Wennberg on Thursday night at the Ottawa Senators and Saturday at the Boston Bruins, and likely for longer.<\/p>\n Despite Wennberg\u2019s slow offensive start, that\u2019s a huge blow for a San Jose Sharks\u2019 line-up that will miss the 20-minute do-everything center.<\/p>\n For now, Warsofsky is giving Collin Graf<\/a>, typically a winger, more minutes up the middle.<\/p>\n Why Graf at center?<\/p>\n \u201cI think the hockey sense really jumps out for him to be able to play that position. His pace,\u201d Warsofsky said. \u201cI think those are the two things that we feel comfortable with him playing the center.\u201d<\/p>\n Is this part of an organizational plan to move Graf to center?<\/p>\n Warsofsky wouldn\u2019t tip his hand: \u201cWe\u2019ll get through this road trip and go from there.\u201d<\/p>\n San Jose Sharks (5-4-1)<\/p>\n Yarsolav Askarov starts.<\/p>\n Otherwise, San Jose Sharks\u2019 lines<\/a> and power play units stay the same:<\/p>\n #SJSharks<\/a> lines at morning skate:<\/p>\n Chernyshov-Celebrini-Smith Nurse-Kesselring \u2014 Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) October 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n #SJSharks<\/a> power play groups\u2026<\/p>\n PP1: Orlov-Stenberg-Celebrini-Smith-Marchment<\/p>\n PP2: Trouba-Chernyshov-Marchment-Toffoli-Misa<\/p>\n \u2014 Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) October 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Warsofsky talked about keeping the same lines as last game, despite their struggles against the Montreal Canadiens through two periods:<\/p>\n Ottawa Senators (7-3-0)<\/p>\n Linus Ullmark<\/a> has been placed on IR.<\/p>\n Both Ullmark and Samuel Ersson played in Wednesday\u2019s emotional 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers.<\/p>\n Jonas Johansson got the recall, so we\u2019ll see who gets the start, Ersson or Johansson, in the back-to-back on Thursday.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how the Sens lined up otherwise last night:<\/p>\n
Marchment-Graf-Toffoli
Stenberg-Misa-Sherwood
Goodrow-Ostapchuk-Dellandrea
Gaudette <\/p>\n
Dickinson-Trouba
Orlov-Allan
Cagnoni<\/p>\n