Sharks at Canucks
With a postseason berth finally under wraps, the San Jose Sharks take to the road Tuesday as they begin their second home-and-home series with the Pacific Division-rival Vancouver Canucks this month. San Jose halted its three-game skid as it concluded a 3-3-0 homestand Monday with a 5-2 triumph over division-leading Los Angeles, but it already had clinched a playoff spot by virtue of Arizona's regulation loss to Calgary earlier in the night.
Defenseman Justin Braun scored the first and last goals for the Sharks, who trail the Kings by five points and are four behind Anaheim for second place in the division and home ice in the first round of the postseason. The season cannot end soon enough for Vancouver, which enters Tuesday's contest with an eight-game losing streak (0-7-1). The Canucks, who have been shut out four times during the slide, returned home from an 0-2-1 road trip Sunday and dropped a 3-2 decision to Chicago. San Jose, which split a home-and-home set with the Canucks on March 3 and 5, won both of its previous two visits to Vancouver this season.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, CSN California (San Jose), Sportsnet Pacific (Vancouver)
ABOUT THE SHARKS (42-28-6): Joe Thornton scored his 18th goal Monday to maintain a share of the team scoring lead with captain Joe Pavelski, who recorded a tally and an assist to raise his point total to 73. Thornton has not been kept off the scoresheet in consecutive games since Dec. 4 and 5. By doubling his season total Monday, Braun matched his career high of four goals set in 2013-14 while also equaling his personal-best point total of 23 from last season.
ABOUT THE CANUCKS (27-35-13): Vancouver has scored fewer than three goals in each game during its skid, averaging one per contest. Sven Baertschi has had a solid season, recording 15 goals in 67 games after scoring 10 during his first 69 contests in the NHL, while Alex Burrows needs one in his final seven games to avoid finishing below double digits for the first time in a season not plagued by injuries since 2006-07 (three in 81 games). Daniel Sedin leads the team with 59 points but has been kept off the scoresheet in five of his last six contests.
OVERTIME
1. Canucks RW Jannik Hansen is one tally shy of reaching the 20-goal plateau for the first time in his career.
2. San Jose can finish the season with six 20-goal scorers, as C Tomas Hertl is one goal shy of the mark while Thornton is two away.
3. Following Tuesday's contest, Vancouver will play four of its final six games on the road.