Will Smith, Macklin Celebrini and Yaroslav Askarov all make impact in San Jose Sharks win over Pittsburgh Penguins

It’s easy to point to a host of injuries to explain why the Minnesota Wild have slid in the standings in recent weeks. It’s also a premise rejected by Bill Guerin, general manager of the Wild.

The San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) along with the National Hockey League announced today the franchise’s First and Second Quarter Century Team presented by SAP as selected by a panel of media, retired players,

and the short-handed Minnesota Wild beat the San Jose Sharks 3-1 on Saturday night. The Wild, without leading scorer Kirill Kaprizov and several other key players, earned their fifth win in six games.

The Nashville Predators host the San Jose Sharks after Filip Forsberg's two-goal game against the Minnesota Wild in the Predators' 6-2 win.

The Predators are likely to start Juuse Saros, who is looking for his 12th win of the season. The Sharks started former Predators prospect Yaroslav Askarov in net in Monday's 6-3 loss in Boston; they will likely will start Alexandar Georgiev on Tuesday.

NHL: San Jose Sharks have won just 13 of 26 games in which they’ve led or been tied going into the third period

It wasn't an overly convincing win, but the Wild got the job done against one of the worst teams in the NHL on Sunday evening. They started hot, then held on and were able to avoid blowing a 3-0 lead in a 4-2 road victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.

Forward Yakov Trenin was a healthy scratch for the first time this season, replaced by Drew Shore in the lineup, and defenseman Declan Chisholm — also healthy — sat out for the first time since Nov. 23, replaced by Travis Dermott.

The Washington Capitals signed goalie Logan Thompson to a six-year extension. Follow this tracker for the latest NHL news.

After a busy seven days in the National Hockey League, the movement in ClutchPoints' NHL Power Rankings is significant in Week 17.

Henderson Silver Knights defenseman Calen Addison has been selected as the Howies Hockey Tape/AHL Player of the Week