Sharks at Wild
A pair of Western powerhouses face off Sunday as the Pacific Division-leading San Jose Sharks visit the Minnesota Wild, who entered Saturday one point ahead of Chicago for the top spot in the conference. San Jose has won three straight contests and enters this matchup with an eight-game point streak (5-0-3), last losing in regulation on Feb. 9 at Boston.
Defenseman Brent Burns began Saturday tied for fourth in the NHL in scoring with 67 points and is in the midst of a seven-game streak during which he has collected five goals and as many assists. Minnesota hopes to regain its offensive touch after being shut out at Columbus on Thursday. It was the second 1-0 setback in seven games for the Wild, who totaled 19 goals over their four contests prior to facing the Blue Jackets. Mikael Granlund, who leads the team with a career-high 59 points, recorded five goals and four assists during a five-game streak before Thursday's loss.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, CSN California (San Jose), FSN North, FSN Wisconsin (Minnesota)
ABOUT THE SHARKS (38-18-7): Joe Thornton is on the verge of joining elite company, as he is one assist away from becoming the 13th player in NHL history with 1,000 in his career. The 37-year-old center also ranks 23rd in league history in points with 1,381 - 10 behind Hall-of-Famer Brett Hull. San Jose hopes to have David Schlemko in the lineup after the defenseman left Thursday's 3-1 win over Vancouver in the first period with a lower-body injury.
ABOUT THE WILD (41-15-6): Minnesota could have forwards Zach Parise and Jason Pominville on the ice against the Sharks as both participated in practice Saturday. The pair has missed the last three games with the mumps, last playing on Feb. 21 against Chicago. Veteran Martin Hanzal, who has set up two goals in three games since being acquired from Arizona, is two assists shy of 200 for his career while fellow center Charlie Coyle needs one to reach 100.
OVERTIME
1. Wild G Devan Dubnyk entered Saturday leading the league in victories (34) and save percentage (.933), and was second in goals-against average (2.03).
2. San Jose has only four players with a double-digit goal total, with each scoring 21 or more.
3. Minnesota posted a 5-4 victory at San Jose in the first meeting of the season on Jan. 5, with captain C Mikko Koivu scoring the tying and winning goals during a third-period comeback.