San Jose Sharks Start Seven-Game Road Trip in Dallas
Overview
The San Jose Sharks split their two-game home stand with a much-needed win against the New York Islanders and a loss against a resurging Vancouver Canucks team. Tonight, they’ll be headed out to start their long seven-game road trip against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center, where they’ll hope to continue the Stars’ losing streak at home.
| San Jose Sharks | Dallas Stars |
| Team Record: 7-5-2 | Team Record: 4-5-4 |
| Last 10: 4-5-1 | Last 10: 3-4-3 |
| Offense: 2.93 G/GP (7th in the League) | Offense: 2.77 G/GP (12th in the League) |
| Defense: 2.57 GA/GP (15th in the League) | Defense: 3.38 G/GP (28th in the League) |
| Road PP%: 31.0% (3rd in the League) | Home PP%: 16.7% (19th in the League) |
| Road PK%: 77.8% (17th in the League) | Home PK%: 80.6% (25th in the League) |
Who’s Hot
Sharks: James Sheppard is continuing to prove his worthiness in the line-up after a successful season last year. He’s currently on a three-game point streak with goals in back-to-back games. Logan Couture has six goals and three assists in two straight games, totaling nine points.
Stars: Trevor Daley is tied in most goals scored among NHL defensemen (5 goals).
| San Jose Sharks | Dallas Stars |
| Matt Nieto – Joe Thornton – Joe Pavelski Patrick Marleau – Logan Couture – Tommy Wingels Tomas Hertl – James Sheppard – Tyler Kennedy Barclay Goodrow – Andrew Desjardins – Adam BurishMarc-Edouard Vlasic – Justin Braun Mirco Mueller – Brent Burns Scott Hannan – Jason DemersAntti Niemi Alex Stalock | Jamie Benn – Tyler Seguin – Valeri Nichushkin Erik Cole – Jason Spezza – Ales Hemsky Antoine Roussel – Vern Fiddler – Ryan Garbutt Patrick Eaves – Shawn Horcoff – Colton SceviourAlex Goligoski – Trevor Daley Jordie Benn – Brenden Dillon Jamie Oleksiak – Sergei GoncharKari Lehtonen Andres Lindback |
Injuries/Scratches
Sharks: Raffi Torres (right knee) and Mike Brown (left hand) are out.
Stars: Rich Peverley (heart) and Patrik Nemeth (arm) are both on IR. Cody Eakin (upper body) is day-to-day.
Keys to the Game
1) Establish the Momentum Early
The Dallas Stars are a young, fast team, but lately they’ve been struggling at home. The Sharks have to take advantage and capitalize on that early.
2) Limit the Turnovers
One of the reasons the Sharks never really got back into the game against the Canucks was because they were turning the puck over way too many times. The passes have to be tape-to-tape. Don’t give the Dallas Stars any opportunities on the transition.
Sharks Viewer/Listener Note
As almost always, you can catch the game at 5 PM on CSN-CA. Check your local listings. If for whatever reason you’re unable to make it, you can always catch the game on the Sharks’ Radio Network KFOX 98.5 FM.