Penguins at Sharks
THE STORY: The Pittsburgh Penguins try to end a lengthy winless streak in San Jose when they take on the Sharks on Thursday. Pittsburgh has not won at the Shark Tank since October 1997, going 0-8-1 in its last nine visits. The league-leading Penguins haven't fared well against San Jose anywhere of late as they have won just three of the last 17 overall meetings (3-13-1) between the clubs. The Sharks are beginning a six-game homestand after concluding a 5-1 road trip with a loss to the New York Rangers on Monday. San Jose has played only three contests at HP Pavilion thus far, winning once.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, Root Sports (Pittsburgh), CSN California (San Jose)
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (8-3-2): Pittsburgh returns to action following a four-day layoff. The team had its five-game winning streak snapped in Toronto on Saturday as Phil Kessel snapped a 3-3 tie midway through the third period with his league-high 10th goal. Sidney Crosby accompanied the Penguins to California but will not play Thursday or in Los Angeles on Saturday. The captain does not believe he's engaged in enough physical play during practice to warrant a return from his concussion just yet. "I've got to go through more contact than I have so far," he said Wednesday. "I need to go consistently through a few days of contact and dealing with it well. That will be the biggest step and the biggest test."
ABOUT THE SHARKS (6-4-0): Pittsburgh will have its hands full trying to tame Joe Pavelski, who enters with a six-game points streak. Pavelski has notched two points in five of those contests, and has totaled six goals during the run. Captain Joe Thornton continued his attempt at damage control for comments he made after Monday's loss to the Rangers. Thornton claimed New York was "probably the softest team we played against on this road trip." On Wednesday, the veteran admitted he put his foot in his mouth. "Every couple of years, you have to say some sort of bone-headed thing," he said. "Usually I'm pretty good, but I say the wrong word once in a while."
OVERTIME:
1. The Penguins have been fantastic on the road recently, winning 13 of their last 18 away from home.
2. San Jose has won seven of its last eight meetings with Pittsburgh, with four of its last five victories coming by one goal - including one shootout triumph.