Rangers at Sharks
The New York Rangers are surging along, and the first two stops on their California road trip did nothing to break their stride. The Rangers vie for their fifth consecutive win and 13th in 14 games when they visit the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. Derick Brassard scored in his third straight contest in New York's 4-1 triumph over Anaheim on Wednesday and defenseman Dan Boyle netted a power-play goal and set up another in the Rangers' 4-3 win over Los Angeles in a Stanley Cup final rematch the following night.
Boyle admitted that Saturday's tilt will carry extra meaning, considering he is facing the team with which he spent six seasons for the first time. "Anytime you're somewhere for a long time, it's a little extra special, and it means a lot to me," the 38-year-old told the New York Daily News. San Jose is licking its wounds after suffering a pair of 7-2 setbacks to St. Louis over a six-day stretch.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), CSN California, FX California (San Jose)
ABOUT THE RANGERS (23-11-4): After sitting out versus the Kings, Henrik Lundqvist is expected to be back in the crease and face San Jose - against which he stopped all 33 shots in a 4-0 win on Oct. 19. Rick Nash, whose 25 goals trail only Dallas' Tyler Seguin (26) for the NHL lead, scored in the teams' first meeting and has 18 career tallies versus the Sharks. Nash's last visit to San Jose didn't go so well as he was concussed following an elbow to the head while New York was throttled 9-2 on Oct. 8, 2013.
ABOUT THE SHARKS (22-15-5): Rookie Melker Karlsson extended his goal-scoring streak to four contests on Thursday for the Sharks, who finished 2-1-0 on their three-game road trip. Coach Todd McLellan refused to take his goaltenders to task in the lopsided losses, telling the San Jose Mercury News that "before we go and throw darts at two individuals, we've got to look at the other 18 that are involved." Antti Niemi yielded five goals on 21 shots before being chased but is expected to get the nod versus New York.
OVERTIME
1. New York is 10-for-23 on the power play in its last seven games while San Jose has yielded six goals while short-handed in its last four.
2. Sharks C Joe Pavelski recorded four goals and three assists during his four-game point streak before being held off the scoresheet versus St. Louis.
3. The Rangers are 8-2-3 against Western Conference representatives - including a 6-1-0 mark versus Pacific Division foes.