Sharks at Kings
The San Jose Sharks look to reverse the trend in the season series with the Los Angeles Kings when they visit their Pacific Division rivals on Thursday. The teams split their first two meetings, with each needing extra time to win at home. Los Angeles skated to a 4-3 overtime victory on Oct. 13, while San Jose posted a 3-2 shootout triumph on Nov. 27.
The Sharks evened their record on their three-game road trip with a 4-2 win at St. Louis on Tuesday. Martin Havlat and defenseman Matt Irwin each recorded a goal and an assist as San Jose raced out to a 3-0 lead before holding on to complete a sweep of the three-game season set. Los Angeles began its four-game homestand with its seventh win in eight contests this month, a 3-0 triumph over Edmonton on Tuesday in which rookie Martin Jones posted the third shutout of his six-game NHL career.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, CSN California (San Jose), FSN West (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE SHARKS (21-7-6): Joe Thornton notched an assist Tuesday to join teammate Patrick Marleau as the only players to record 700 with San Jose. The assist was the 818th of the captain's career, moving him within seven of Alex Delvecchio for 25th place on the all-time list. Thornton also climbed within 16 points of Bobby Hull (1,170) for 48th in NHL history.
ABOUT THE KINGS (23-8-4): Jones' shutout tied him with seven others, including teammate Ben Scrivens, for the league lead through Tuesday's action. The 23-year-old, who has allowed a total of five goals, is the first Los Angeles goaltender to win his first six decisions with the club. The injured Jonathan Quick has one shutout, giving the Kings a total of seven over their first 35 games.
OVERTIME
1. Kings captain Dustin Brown recorded his 400th career point with an empty-net goal on Tuesday.
2. San Jose C Logan Couture needs one goal and two assists to reach 100 for his career in each category.
3. Sharks LW Patrick Marleau's next game will be the 1,200th of his NHL career.