Sharks at Oilers
The playoff-bound Edmonton Oilers continue their quest for a division crown when they host another contender in the struggling San Jose Sharks on Thursday. Edmonton edged Los Angeles 2-1 on Tuesday to clinch its first postseason berth since 2006, when it reached the Stanley Cup Final, and trail Pacific-leading Anaheim by two points with six games remaining.
Defenseman Eric Gryba snapped a 1-1 tie in the second period for the Oilers, who improved to 2-0-0 on their four-game homestand and extended their winning streak at Rogers Place to six games. San Jose also secured a spot in the playoffs Tuesday, when it posted a 5-4 overtime triumph over the visiting New York Rangers that also halted its six-game slide. Blue-liner Brent Burns scored a power-play goal at 3:10 of the extra session for the Sharks, who also sit two points behind the Ducks in the Pacific. San Jose is beginning its final road trip of the season - a three-gamer - before finishing with three at home, including another huge matchup with the Oilers on April 6.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, CSN California (San Jose), Sportsnet West (Edmonton)
ABOUT THE SHARKS (43-26-7): Burns' goal against New York was his first in 17 games and 28th of the campaign, eclipsing the career high he set last season and tying him with captain Joe Pavelski for the club lead. The 32-year-old tops San Jose with 73 points - two shy of the personal best he registered in 2015-16 - and is four shy of 500 for his career. The Sharks hope their lineup on Thursday includes Logan Couture and Micheal Haley, as the former missed the win over the Rangers with a facial injury while the latter served a one-game suspension for a roughing incident against Nashville on Saturday.
ABOUT THE OILERS (42-25-9): Connor McDavid scored his 27th goal of the season on Tuesday to pull even with Leon Draisaitl for first on the team and raise his league-leading point total to 89. The 20-year-old captain is riding an eight-game point streak during which he has collected four tallies and 10 assists. Draisaitl has been even hotter than McDavid, registering four goals and 11 assists during an eight-game run of his own.
OVERTIME
1. Pavelski is two tallies away from his fourth straight 30-goal season but is mired in a seven-game drought.
2. Edmonton C Mark Letestu has scored a career-high 15 goals and is tied for the team lead in both power-play tallies (10) and game-winners (six).
3. Couture and San Jose teammate Marc-Edouard Vlasic both are three assists away from 200 for their careers.