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One side in Red Wings vs. Sharks at advantage following lineup addition before puck drop


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Joshua Deeds
January 16, 2026  (5:31 PM)
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Nov 2, 2025; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose Sharks goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (33) deflects a shot by Detroit Red Wings right wing Alex Debrincat (93) during the first overtime period at SAP Center at San Jose.
Photo credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images

Friday night in Little Caesars Arena, the Detroit Red Wings face off against the San Jose Sharks in what should be a thrilling contest, with one side having an advantage tonight with an addition to the lineup before puck drop.

Friday night should prove to be a thrilling tilt. Macklin Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks arrived at Little Caesars Arena, with the Detroit Red Wings defending home ice.
But before the night begins, there was a recent addition to the San Jose Sharks lineup, which should give them a bit of an edge tonight against the Red Wings.
The Sharks activated Will Smith from the injured reserve.
This will be his first game back on the ice since December 13th after being out of the lineup for a month due to an upper-body injury.
Smith's 2025-26 season began on a high note before his injury, scoring 29 points (12-17) in 33 games with the Sharks.
Now the 20-year-old Massachusetts native will look to surpass his 45-point production in 2024-25 as he rejoins the team's top line centered by sophomore superstar Macklin Celebrini.
The Red Wings' hands will be full having to account for both Celebrini and Smith tonight.

The Detroit Red Wings will need to stand on guard against the San Jose Sharks' youthful offense

The Sharks may seem like they're not a great team, but on the right night with Yaroslav Askarov performing as expected, they can turn the tide with Smith and Celebrini easily.
They've won four of their last five games and could bag their next win tonight in Detroit if they're not careful.
Patrick Kane, who is eyeing down a major milestone with his Red Wings team, will have to find a way to generate offense and put a goal or two in the back of the net tonight if the Red Wings are to win.
He's 4 points shy of surpassing Mike Modano for American-born skaters All-time points scored list.
John Gibson will guard the crease tonight, with a record of 17-9-1, a 2.75 goals-against average, and a .903 save percentage.
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One side in Red Wings vs. Sharks at advantage following lineup addition before puck drop

Do you think that with forward Will Smith returning to the San Jose Sharks lineup against the Detroit Red Wings before puck drop, the Sharks have a good advantage to win tonight?


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