Coyotes at Sharks
THE STORY: If the Phoenix Coyotes hope to eventually ascend to the top of the Pacific Division, they will need to find a way to defeat the San Jose Sharks. They’ll get a chance to do just that when the teams lock horns on Saturday night at HP Pavilion. The Sharks, who are no strangers to finishing atop the division, have made a habit of beating their foes from Arizona – especially at home, where San Jose is searching for its seventh straight win over the Coyotes. Phoenix must guard against letting the shooting-happy Sharks from putting relentless pressure on the net. San Jose is averaging a league-best 40 shots at home.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, CSN-CA.
ABOUT THE COYOTES (7-4-3): Trailing the Sharks by two points in the standings, Phoenix faces a challenging stretch that sees the team play five road games in just 10 days’ time. The Coyotes have been strong away from home of late, winning three straight on the road. Goaltender Mike Smith has been as much a part of the Coyotes’ success as any player, going 5-0-2 with a 2.37 goals-against average in his last seven starts.
ABOUT THE SHARKS (9-4-1): When the Sharks have been winning, it’s been courtesy of their impressive power play. San Jose is converting a league-best 30 percent with the man advantage at home. Three of Joe Pavelski’s team-high nine goals have come on the power play. Pavelski went scoreless in Thursday’s 3-1 win over Minnesota, but had six points in the four previous games. The 27-year-old also scored two goals in a season-opening win against Phoenix.
OVERTIME:
1. San Jose has completely dominated the series of late, winning 10 of the past 11 meetings.
2. Sharks goalie Antti Niemi is 5-1-1 with a 2.12 goals-against average in his career against the Coyotes.