Snapshots: Walman, Samsonov, 4 Nations Face-Off

San Jose Sharks defenseman Jake Walman did not join the team for warmups on Sunday night, indicating that he’ll miss a third-straight game due to team suspension and an upper-body injury, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. Walman returned to top-pair line rushes at San Jose’s Sunday morning practice and was designated as a game-time decision, head coach Ryan Warsofsky shared with Max Miller of The Hockey News. Walman has nine points in 13 games – more than double the scoring of any other Sharks defender.

Despite that, the team opted for the restrained decision, and will instead return Jack Thompson to the lineup for his ninth game of the season. Thompson has four points on the year – second among Sharks defenders – and has generally looked much more the part of an everyday NHL defender. He’s served on San Jose’s second pair, while Henry Thrun is filling Walman’s top-pair spot next to Cody Ceci. Walman is traveling with the Sharks of a four-game road trip kicked off on Sunday night, and will look to instead return on Monday.

Other quick notes around the league:

• Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Ilya Samsonov has returned to the team’s practices after missing the last three games with an undisclosed injury. There’s been no word on his availability for Monday night’s matchup against Carolina, but his return to practice is nonetheless exciting progress for a Golden Knights team that’s directed all of Samsonov’s minutes to starter Adin Hill. Hill has a 6-2-1 record and .881 save percentage through nine games this season, while temporary backup Akira Schmid has slotted into six AHL games and posted a .885 save percentage. Samsonov’s 3-1-1 record and .906 save percentage in five games should be enough to earn him routine starts when he’s healthy enough to return – a point that seems to be drawing close.
• Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shared on the latest Saturday Headlines segment that rosters for February’s 4 Nations Face-Off will be made public on December 4th, with Sweden and Finland’s coming early in the North American day while Canada and USA will announce theirs that evening. The event stands as the first in what will become a trend of in-season international events during non-Olympic years. It will take place from February 12th to February 20th and features the four of the five most-represented countries in the NHL, excluding Russia. Each country announced their first six players this summer – with Sidney Crosby, Auston Matthews, Erik Karlsson, and Aleksander Barkov among the list of representatives.