Sharks at Coyotes
Celebrations were in abundance for the San Jose Sharks last time out, and they hope for more Wednesday as they seek their eighth straight win when they visit the Arizona Coyotes. San Jose remained unbeaten since the calendar changed to January when it posted a 5-2 home triumph over Pittsburgh on Tuesday behind Tomas Hertl's hat trick.
The 25-year-old Czech reached a milestone in the win as his second career hat trick gave him 100 goals in the NHL. Joe Thornton celebrated playing in his 1,000th game with the Sharks by scoring for the fourth time in five contests. Arizona had its three-game winning streak halted Sunday as it suffered a 7-1 loss in Calgary, ending its hopes for a perfect three-game road trip. Defenseman Jordan Oesterle scored for the second time in two contests, giving him four points in as many games.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
ABOUT THE SHARKS (28-13-7): Another member of the team that had reason to rejoice Tuesday was Martin Jones, who registered his career high-tying eighth consecutive victory. The 39-year-old goaltender won his first eight NHL games from Dec. 3-21, 2013 while with Los Angeles. Evander Kane registered three assists against the Penguins, giving him five goals and nine assists over his last nine contests.
ABOUT THE COYOTES (20-22-3): Rookie Conor Garland was kept off the scoresheet by the Flames for only the third time in his last 11 contests, putting an end to his four-game goal-scoring streak. The 22-year-old right wing, who was selected in the fifth round of the 2015 draft, has netted eight tallies in his first 18 NHL contests - six during his recent run. Clayton Keller, who leads the team with 31 points, has notched only two over his last six games and is two shy of 100 for his career.
OVERTIME
1. Coyotes C Derek Stepan notched an assist Sunday for his second point in 10 games.
2. Sharks C Dylan Gambrell, who appeared in two contests with the club earlier this season, was recalled from the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League.
3. Arizona assigned G Adin Hill, who has gone 7-5-0 with a 2.76 goals-against average and one shutout in 13 games - 11 starts - this season, to Tucson of the AHL.