Sharks at Wild
The Minnesota Wild have been a better team since the calendar turned to 2018 and look to continue their surge toward securing a playoff spot in the Western Conference when the San Jose Sharks pay a visit Sunday. The Wild have won three straight after Friday’s workmanlike 4-1 victory at the New York Rangers and own points in 18 of 22 games (14-4-4) since Jan. 1.
“We’re just building to make the playoffs,” Minnesota coach Bruce Boudreau told reporters. “We don’t care if it’s first, second or third (in the division). There’s not a weak team in the top 10 or top 12, so it doesn’t matter. We just want to get there.” The Wild edged ahead of Dallas for third in the Central Division Friday and the Sharks have dropped two in a row to sit in second place by just one point in the Pacific. San Jose was outscored 10-2 in the last two contests after winning five of the previous six and must get it’s offense going again, especially a power play that is 0-for-19 in an eight-game span. “We didn’t do enough to score, and that’s the bottom line,” Sharks coach Peter DeBoer told reporters after a 3-1 loss at Chicago on Friday. “I think there were some shots and things. I didn’t think we got enough traffic going in, didn’t think we had enough speed on our attack. So, you know, we probably deserve one goal.”
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCS California (San Jose), FS North (Minnesota)
ABOUT THE SHARKS (33-21-8): Goalie Martin Jones certainly hasn’t been a problem this month, allowing two or fewer goals in all but one of his nine starts and sporting a .934 save percentage along with a 2.01 goals-against average despite a 5-4-0 record. Leading scorer Brent Burns (51 points) admitted he is hampered with an upper-body injury lately, but told The Mercury News: “I think everybody is (playing hurt). It’s that time of year. It’s fine.” Logan Couture tops the team with 25 goals and owns three of his 47 points in the last three contests.
ABOUT THE WILD (34-20-7): Mikael Granlund posted four points in a game for the second time in his career Friday (two goals, two assists) and is one away from his third straight campaign with at least 50 points. “He’s such a deceptive-type player,” Minnesota’s leading scorer Eric Staal (58 points) told reporters of Granlund. “He can really find openings and find holes, and he can make plays.” Staal also finished with four points Friday and his two tallies pulled him within one of his first 30-goal season since 2010-11 with Carolina, topping last season’s 28 tallies with Minnesota.
OVERTIME
1. San Jose’s 21-year-old Timo Meier scored his 15th goal Friday to tie for second on the team with fellow Fs Joe Pavelski and Tomas Hertl.
2. Minnesota D Matt Dumba (34 points) owns three assists in the last three games and needs one point to set a career high, topping last season.
3. The Wild has won the last four meetings, including a 4-3 overtime triumph Dec. 10 with two goals and an assist from Staal.