Sharks at Hurricanes
The San Jose Sharks snapped their season-high four-game losing streak with an impressive victory last time out and attempt to register another when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday afternoon. The Sharks were 0-2-2 overall and 0-2-1 since former Hart Trophy winner Joe Thornton went down with a knee injury before winning 3-1 at Columbus on Friday.
“That’s this group’s identity. There’s no quit in them. They don’t get down. They show up and work,” San Jose coach Peter DeBoer told reporters. “We haven’t gotten the results lately, but there’s been no discouragement.” The Sharks moved into second place in the Pacific Division with the victory while Carolina sits one point out of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Hurricanes had won three straight games but now must rebound from a 4-1 home loss to Detroit on Friday in which they allowed four unanswered goals after opening the scoring. “They were obviously the hungrier team,” Carolina center Jordan Staal told reporters. “There wasn’t enough effort from everyone, including myself, to get the win.”
TV: 1 p.m. ET, NBCS California (San Jose), FS Carolinas
ABOUT THE SHARKS (27-16-8): Logan Couture has stepped up in Thornton’s absence, scoring five goals and setting up two others in his last six contests while Kevin Labanc has registered six points in his last four games. “We’ve got skilled players,” Couture told reporters. “Obviously, you can’t replicate one of the best passers of this generation, but other guys can go out there and put pucks toward the net, and that’s how we’re scoring our goals.” Couture has recorded 39 points - three fewer than team leader Brent Burns, who has been kept off the scoresheet in his last two games despite registering 14 shots.
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (24-20-8): Sebastian Aho scored the only goal for Carolina on Friday - his seventh in the last nine contests and team-leading 18th overall - and is second on the team with 39 points. Teuvo Teravainen tops the club with 41 points (13 goals), including five in his last four games, while Justin Williams has notched a goal and three assists in the same stretch. Cam Ward (15-6-2, 2.67 goals-against average, .910 save percentage), who was rested Friday, is expected back in net after surrendering just one goal in his previous two starts.
OVERTIME
1. The Sharks posted a 5-4 overtime victory at home in the first meeting of the season as Thornton registered three points.
2. Carolina LW Jeff Skinner has scored just one of his 15 goals over the last eight games and has gone three contests without a point.
3. San Jose D Justin Braun (19 assists, plus-6 rating) is slated to play in his 500th NHL contest on Sunday.