Sharks goalie Martin Jones will “probably” be the starter for Game 1 of the playoffs next week, head coach Pete DeBoer revealed after practice in Minnesota on Monday.
DeBoer said: "Jonesy's had a great year for us. All things being equal, that's probably where we'll end up but there's no sense making any announcements on that until we have to because too many things can change,” according to the San Jose Mercury News.
James Reimer is expected to start against the Wild on Tuesday in St. Paul, the first time he’ll make back-to-back starts with the Sharks. In seven games with San Jose since he was acquired from Toronto on Feb. 27, Reimer is 5-2-0 with a 1.85 goals-against average and .927 save percentage.
Jones, in his first season with the Sharks, is 36-22-4 with a 2.26 GAA and .918 SP. It is his first season as a number one after he previously served as Jonathan Quick’s backup in Los Angeles for two seasons.
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Ten days ago, DeBoer indicated he’d be comfortable with either Jones or Reimer in net for the postseason.
“We think we’ve got two guys that we’re very comfortable with, and we’ll see where we are when we have to make those decisions,” he said on March 25.
Jones, 26, is in the first of a three-year, $9 million contract. Reimer, 28, is a pending unrestricted free agent.
After Tuesday, the Sharks close out the regular season at home against Winnipeg on Thursday and Arizona on Saturday. The Stanley Cup Playoffs begin on April 13.
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