Canucks at Sharks
THE STORY: The San Jose Sharks may be in the perfect frame of mind to exact a little revenge Saturday night. San Jose hosts Vancouver in a rematch of last year's Western Conference final, a series that saw the Canucks prevail in five games. The Sharks are one of the hottest teams in the conference at the moment, winners of four straight games and co-owner of the Pacific Division lead. San Jose is dominating at both ends of the ice, scoring 14 goals over the course of the winning streak while allowing just four over the same span. The Canucks are coming off their own impressive effort, handing the Coyotes a 5-0 defeat in Phoenix. Cory Schneider earned the shutout in that one, and will likely get the start again as Roberto Luongo continues to nurse an upper-body injury.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, CBC, Comcast SportsNet California
ABOUT THE CANUCKS (12-9-1): Vancouver rolls into San Jose on a three-game winning streak that has seen the club surrender just one goal in its last nine periods. The fact that Schneider faced just 21 shots against the Coyotes should bode well for he and the rest of the team as it plays its third game in four nights. Schneider has had his share of struggles versus the Sharks; while he's 2-1-0 in three games against them, he has a 4.97 goals-against average and an .878 save percentage in those contests.
ABOUT THE SHARKS (13-5-1): He flies under the radar on the West Coast, but Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic is enjoying the makings of a career campaign as the season passes the quarter pole. The 24-year-old has 11 points - just one coming on the power play - and a plus-11 rating in 19 games. He's on pace to set a new career high in scoring, and his steady defensive play is one of the reasons San Jose finds itself near the top of the Western Conference.
OVERTIME:
1. Vancouver won three of four regular-season meetings between the clubs last season, with three games decided by a goal.
2. Weekend work suits the Sharks just fine; they've won 60 of their last 86 games played on a Saturday.