San Jose Sharks Head To Anaheim For Big Tilt With Ducks

The San Jose Sharks kick off the post-All-Star portion of their schedule tonight as they travel to Southern California for a key divisional matchup. The Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks will tangle for the fourth time this season as San Jose looks to extend their lead over Anaheim in the Pacific Division.

Heading into this contest, the Sharks, sitting in second place, hold a five-point lead over the surging Ducks who also have a game in hand on San Jose. Both of these teams have been on quite the roll recently as they have identical 10-3-2 records over their last 15 games.

Anaheim heads into this game as winners of three straight and five of their past six games, while San Jose rides into this one on a 10-game point streak (8-0-2). Whenever these two teams square off, the hockey is always intense and this year has been no different.

The Ducks lead the season series by a 2-1 margin, and the winning team has posted a shutout in each matchup with the Sharks recording a 2-0 win way back in October, and Anaheim pulling out a pair of 1-0 wins since.

It should make for another fascinating night of hockey and provide the perfect launching point into the stretch run for the playoffs.

Players to Watch

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Sharks: Joe Thornton. Thornton has been back to his dominant ways for the Sharks. He has been a point-producing machine of late, riding a 10-game point streak into this game and recording a point in 18 of his past 19 games (five goals, 20 assists). His play has elevated the work of Tomas Hertl to help form a potent top-line for San Jose. For the year, Thornton has nine goals, 32 assists and is tied for the team-lead with a plus-18 rating.

Ducks: Ryan Getzlaf. It was a disappointing first half for the Anaheim captain who is a big part of the offensive woes for the Ducks this year. After amassing 56 goals, 101 assists and 157 points over the past two seasons, Getzlaf has just three goals and 28 assists this season. San Jose will still need to be cognizant of Getzlaf who has been better of late with points in seven of his past eight contests.

Keys to the Game

1. Special Teams Play

In a game where scoring chances will be limited, special teams will be crucial in a game that is typically very physical. The Sharks bring the league’s third-ranked power play to town, converting at a 22.5 percent clip, while the Ducks will provide a stern test with the league’s best penalty kill at 89.6 percent. More importantly for San Jose, they will need to tighten up their 24th-ranked penalty kill unit as Anaheim struggles to generate offense, ranking 30th in the league at 2.11 goals per game and only 99 goals for the season. However, the Ducks do possess a competent power play, ranking 12th in the NHL at just under 19 percent.

2. Goaltending

Heading into this season, one big question mark was whether Martin Jones could shoulder the load for this team. Jones has appeared in 40 games to date and has been solid in amassing a 23-13-3 record with a 2.39 goals-against-average (GAA) and a .915 save percentage. That record has been stellar of late with Jones recording a 7-0-1 mark and a 1.96 GAA and a .930 save percentage. He will need to be sharp tonight in Anaheim as the Ducks look to close the gap.

3. Seize The Opportunity

San Jose missed a big opportunity to close in on the Los Angeles Kings when they surrendered a goal with 12 seconds remaining before eventually falling in overtime right before the All-Star break. These four-point games are obviously huge and the Sharks would like to keep the Ducks at bay within the division. A win tonight would be a huge momentum boost for San Jose as they embark on a four-game trip against Western Conference contenders. Also, a Sharks victory would make it that much tougher for Anaheim to catch San Jose in the Pacific, while allowing them to continue their pursuit of the Kings.

Next: Sharks Face Big Four-Game Trip After Break

TV/Radio

TV: CSN-California (7:00 p.m. PST)

Radio: 98.5 KFOX