Kings at Sharks
The San Jose Sharks attempt to extend their point streak to nine games when they host the suddenly slumping Los Angeles Kings on Sunday. San Jose has gone 7-0-1 since beginning the month with back-to-back losses, a run that includes a 4-3 triumph over Minnesota on Saturday in the opener of its three-game homestand.
Captain Joe Pavelski's three-point performance against the Wild, which included the winning goal with 1:24 remaining in the third period, was his NHL-leading eighth game-winning goal of the season. Los Angeles' lead in the Pacific Division has been reduced to single digits as it has scored a total of two goals during its two-game skid. The Kings, who dropped a 3-2 decision at Arizona on Saturday, are eight points ahead of San Jose and 10 in front of the Coyotes and Vancouver. The Sharks won two of their first three meetings with the Kings this season, with the road team capturing each contest.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, Sportsnet, FSN West (Los Angeles), CSN California (San Jose)
ABOUT THE KINGS (29-15-3): Los Angeles got a rare offensive contribution from its captain Saturday as Dustin Brown scored his fifth goal of the season after going 10 games without landing on the scoresheet. The tally was the 457th career point for the 31-year-old, tying him with Mike Murphy for 11th place on the franchise list. Anze Kopitar, who leads the team with 40 points, has been held in check for two straight games after collecting four goals and 16 assists over his previous 12 contests.
ABOUT THE SHARKS (25-18-3): Joe Thornton enters Sunday with an eight-game point streak after notching a pair of assists against Minnesota. The 36-year-old has landed on the scoresheet in 16 of his last 17 contests, collecting five goals and 17 assists in that span. San Jose is riding a five-game point streak at home (4-0-1) after coming up empty in 12 of its first 17 contests at SAP Center (5-12-0).
OVERTIME
1. Pavelski has scored the game-winning goal in each of the Sharks' victories over the Kings this season.
2. Los Angeles RW Marian Gaborik has gone 10 games without a goal and has recorded one in his last 16 contests.
3. The two assists on Sunday raised Thornton's career total to 930, moving him past Larry Murphy for 16th place on the all-time list.