Sharks at Blackhawks
Defenseman Brent Burns is making another run at the Norris Trophy this season and looks to record at least a point for the eighth straight game when his first-place San Jose Sharks visit the equally hot Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday. Burns put up career highs of 27 goals and 75 points last season before registering 13 and 29, respectively, in the first 31 contests of 2016-17 for the Sharks — winners of four straight.
Burns boasts four goals and four assists during his current streak for San Jose, which is 7-2-0 in its last nine outings and can finish a perfect four-game road trip with a win at Chicago. Burns (298 career assists) leads the Sharks with 29 points while captain Joe Pavelski adds 27 and the duo will need support against the Blackhawks, who own points in six straight games (5-0-1) after a 6-4 victory at St. Louis on Saturday. Artemi Panarin remained hot with three points in the victory as Chicago finished with 13 goals on a perfect three-game road trip. Reigning Hart Trophy winner Patrick Kane snapped a nine-game goal drought with his ninth tally of the season Saturday and moved within six of 700 career points.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NHL Network, CSN California (San Jose), WGN (Chicago)
ABOUT THE SHARKS (19-11-1): Right wing Timo Meier, the ninth-overall pick in the 2015 draft, made his NHL debut in the 4-2 win over Montreal on Friday, notching a goal as youngsters continue to make an impression for San Jose. “I want to play within my strengths, get inside, get in front of the net,” Meier, who scored nine goals in 17 AHL games, told reporters. “Just kept it simple and got rewarded with a goal. I can take a lot out of this game.” Meier, and the strong play of 21-year-old Kevin Lebanc (six points, 18 games), made veteran forward Joel Ward a healthy scratch Friday.
ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (21-8-4): Panarin has taken over the team lead with 32 points — one better than Kane — after recording four goals and five assists during a torrid four-game stretch for Chicago, which is in the middle of the pack in scoring overall. Captain Jonathan Toews has managed just one point in three games since returning from a back injury while fellow center Artem Anisimov (upper-body) is questionable after leaving Saturday’s game. Brent Seabrook notched an assist Saturday for his 17th of the season and 299th of his career while fellow defenseman Duncan Keith has 21 helpers and no goals.
OVERTIME
1. The Sharks are 2-0-1 in the last three meetings, including a 2-1 triumph in San Jose on Nov. 23 when Toews was injured.
2. Chicago G Scott Darling is 5-2-1 with a .933 save percentage since replacing Corey Crawford (appendectomy), but could sit on favor of backup G Lars Johansson on Sunday.
3. San Jose F Joe Thornton’s assist with the man advantage in Friday’s win pushed him past Pierre Turgeon for 16th on the NHL’s all-time list for power-play points with 488.