Sharks at Flames
THE STORY: A quick glance at recent history would suggest the San Jose Sharks have dominated the Calgary Flames. A closer look reveals several tightly contested games as the teams head into the next chapter of their head-to-head matchup Tuesday in Calgary. The Sharks come in having dropped the front end of their two-night Alberta stay, losing 2-1 in a shootout against the Edmonton Oilers. San Jose has won five of the last six encounters with the Flames, but four of those contests were decided by a goal - two via shutout. That bodes well for a Calgary team still on a high after posting an impressive 6-2 drubbing of rival Edmonton over the weekend. The win moved the Flames within a point of third-place Minnesota and two points of No. 2 Colorado in the crowded Northwest Division race. The Flames and Sharks are playing the final game before a lengthy All-Star break, with both teams enjoying a full week between games.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, CS California (San Jose), RS Calgary
ABOUT THE SHARKS (26-14-6): San Jose may have lost defenseman Brent Burns for a while after he was on the wrong end of a knee from Oilers forward Ales Hemsky early in the third period of Monday's game. Burns was helped off the ice while Hemsky was given a major penalty and a game misconduct. San Jose made the Oilers pay - scoring the tying goal on the ensuing power play - but would rather have Burns, who entered Monday's game third on the team at 22 1/2 minutes of ice time per game.
ABOUT THE FLAMES (23-20-6): The early returns on forward Michael Cammalleri haven't been promising. Since being reacquired from the Montreal Canadiens in a deal earlier this month, the veteran winger has only one goal and a minus-3 rating in four games. Cammalleri was one of the few players to struggle in Sunday's rout of the Oilers, registering only three shots while being on the ice for both Edmonton goals. He has only three points in his last 10 contests overall.
OVERTIME:
1. Calgary enjoys one of the most favorable schedules in the league after the hiatus, playing 20 of its final 33 games at home.
2. The Sharks come into the night second in the NHL in faceoff success rate at 53 percent, while the Flames are last in the league at 44.9.
3. Calgary has scored the fewest second-period goals in the league (31). The Sharks have struck 56 times in the middle frame, tied with Detroit for third overall.