The San Jose Sharks travel to the desert tonight as they face the upstart Arizona Coyotes for the first of five matchups this season. Heading into tonight’s game, the Sharks and Coyotes are tied with 49 points, with Arizona having played one more game.
San Jose brings a six-game point streak into this one after recording five consecutive wins before falling in the shootout against Ottawa on Monday. This will be the final road game before the All-Star break for the Sharks who have won both road contests this month and sport the second-best road record in the NHL at 15-6-2.
Meanwhile, it’s been a transcendent season for Arizona who many viewed would be in the hunt for the number one pick in the draft rather than the playoffs. Instead, the Coyotes have relied on their young talent which has carried this team to a second-place standing within the jumbled Pacific Division.
This should be a highly entertaining, back-and-forth game between two teams that can light the lamp with regularity. San Jose ranks fifth in the league with 2.84 goals per game, while Arizona ranks eighth at 2.73 goals per game.
Players to Watch
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Sharks: Chris Tierney. After a brief stint in the AHL with the Barracuda, Tierney has been a different player for the Sharks, very similar to last season when he went down to the AHL and regained his confidence. Since being recalled on Jan. 8, Tierney has recorded two goals and four assists with a plus-six rating over that span. Tierney will be motivated to continue his strong play in this one as he faces former OHL teammate Max Domi, who’s having quite the season for Arizona.
Coyotes: Max Domi. Speaking of Domi, the 20-year-old rookie phenom has helped spark quite the turnaround for the Coyotes. While Domi has cooled off of late, the dynamic forward can change the game in an instant. The 12th overall pick by Arizona back in 2013 has posted 13 goals, 18 assists and 31 through his first 45 games at the NHL level.
Keys to the Game
1. Limit Turnovers
The middle of the ice will be important in this one as the Coyotes are a great transition team that wants to utilize their speed on the attack. The Sharks will need to make smart decisions with the puck and limit the turnovers in their defensive end so they can attack a suspect Arizona defense.
2. Capitalize On The Power Play
San Jose has seen their power play return to their usual levels of production, ranking sixth in the league at 21.1 percent. On the other hand, the Coyotes have struggled on the penalty kill ranking 28th with a success rate of just 76.4 percent. The Sharks will want to take advantage of their man advantage opportunities and make Arizona pay for their mistakes.
3. Set The Tone
As mentioned previously, this will be the first time these two teams see each other and they will square off four more times over the next 37 games. San Jose wants to come out and set the tone early and often against Arizona to let them know how these games are going to pan out. Picking up two points and taking over sole possession of second place would be a big first step for this Sharks group.
Next: Tomas Hertl Gaining Confidence For Sharks
TV/Radio
TV: CSN-California (6:00 p.m. PST)
Radio: 98.5 KFOX