Evgeni Nabokov (groin) could be ready to back up in goal as early as Tuesday in San Jose. Nabokov had been looking forward to this game since the start of the season as he spent most of his career guarding the cage for the Sharks. He was hurt on November 16 and was expected to miss about a month of action so he is in line to return. Nabokov has been a disappointment this season with a 5-5-3 record, a 3.30 GAA and a .892 save percentage.