When the San Jose Sharks and Calgary Flames face off at HP Pavilion on Friday, it will be a tale of two teams headed in completely different directions. San Jose enters the matchup riding a winning streak that reached six games on Wednesday, when it skated to a 4-2 triumph over the Minnesota Wild. The victory also gave the Sharks a 5-0-0 mark on their seven-game homestand.
Calgary's spiral since trading captain Jarome Iginla to the Pittsburgh Penguins continued Wednesday, when it scored the game's first two goals before allowing the final eight in an 8-2 loss to the provincial-rival Edmonton Oilers. The Flames, who dropped both ends of the home-and-home series with Edmonton, have been outscored 18-7 during their slide. Calgary is just two points ahead of the league-worst Colorado Avalanche.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, Rogers Sportsnet West (Calgary), CSN California (San Jose)
ABOUT THE FLAMES (13-18-4): After dealing Iginla last Thursday and defenseman Jay Bouwmeester to the St. Louis Blues on Monday, Calgary made only a minor deal at Wednesday's deadline, sending left wing Blake Comeau to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a fifth-round pick in this year's draft. The 27-year-old appeared in 33 games with the Flames, registering four goals and three assists. Calgary had talks with the Toronto Maple Leafs regarding Miikka Kiprusoff, but the goaltender maintained his stance that he would not report if dealt. "I talked with (general manager) Jay Feaster and I told him, for me, I would love to stay here and finish off the season as a Flame," Kiprusoff said.
ABOUT THE SHARKS (19-11-6): After trading away three players in the days leading up to the deadline, San Jose made a pair of deals on Wednesday to strengthen the team. The Sharks re-acquired defenseman Scott Hannan, who spent the first eight seasons of his career with San Jose, from the Nashville Predators before obtaining Raffi Torres from the Phoenix Coyotes. Those deals came a day after the club shipped left wing Ryane Clowe to the New York Rangers for a trio of draft picks. San Jose also had sent defenseman Douglas Murray to Pittsburgh and center Michal Handzus to the Chicago Blackhawks.
OVERTIME
1. At 13-1-4, San Jose has the fewest amount of regulation home losses in the league.
2. Calgary has lost four of its last five visits to San Jose.
3. Sharks D Jason Demers has missed three games with an undisclosed injury.
PREDICTION: Sharks 4, Flames 1