Sharks at Blue Jackets
The San Jose Sharks have not won since veteran center Joe Thornton suffered a serious knee injury, a streak they hope to end when they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night. It's the third stop of a five-game road trip for San Jose, which has lost a season-high four in a row after dropping a back-to-back at Pittsburgh and Detroit.
Thornton was hurt in an overtime loss to Winnipeg on Jan. 23 and the Sharks have dropped the next three without him, tightening up the race for second place in the Pacific Division. "We've played three games without (Thornton) and we've lost all three and gotten one point. That has to stop now," San Jose forward Logan Couture said. "He's a great player but we've got to find a way to start winning hockey games without him." Columbus is also coming off a shootout defeat -- 3-2 at home to Minnesota -- and has failed to score more than two goals in regulation for the 10th time in the last 11 games. “A big part of winning in the league is the will," coach John Tortorella said after Wednesday's practice. "That’s been very inconsistent in our game. And I know it’s there. I’ve seen it there. We just need to get back to it consistently.”
ABOUT THE SHARKS (26-16-8): Goaltender Martin Jones was among the players who said they have to "step up" in Thornton's absence, and he did his part by making a season-high 43 saves against Detroit. Jones has struggled through an erratic, injury-plagued campaign, but coach Peter DeBoer said he has no concerns about him entering the stretch run. “I don’t even think that’s a question,” DeBoer said. “I think he’s going to do that. I think we’re going to get great goaltending the whole second half here.”
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (27-19-4): Columbus still has the league's worst power play at 14.1 percent, although there has been an uptick in production with six goals in 19 chances over the past eight games. "That was a big part of our game last year," Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones said at Thursday's practice. "Our power play won us a lot of games last year, and we need to get to that (level)." Artemi Panarin, who scored in regulation and the shootout Tuesday, has five points in five games versus San Jose.
OVERTIME
1. Blue Jackets G Sergei Bobrovsky is 5-4-2 with a 2.53 goals-against average versus San Jose.
2. Sharks D Brent Burns had his seven-game point streak stopped in Detroit despite a season-high nine shots on goal.
3. Blue Jackets F Boone Jenner has been hold off the scoresheet in 11 straight games.