Oilers at Sharks
The San Jose Sharks still have a slim chance to capture the Pacific Division crown, but they may have to make their attempt without two key players. Logan Couture and Joe Thornton remain day-to-day with facial and knee injuries, respectively, as the Sharks continue their season-ending three-game homestand Thursday against the Edmonton Oilers.
"Maybe I'll play tomorrow, maybe Saturday...," Thornton, who was injured in Sunday's win at Vancouver, told the Sharks' website Wednesday. "No doubt about Game 1 of the playoffs." San Jose trails first-place Anaheim by four points with two games remaining and owns the tiebreaker, but Edmonton also has a shot at the division title as it is four points behind the Ducks with three contests left. The Oilers edged Anaheim in overtime on Saturday for their fifth straight win and ninth in 10 games but suffered a 6-4 loss in Los Angeles three days later that may have harmed their chances to finish first. Edmonton concludes its three-game road trip Saturday with the opener of a season-ending home-and-home series against Vancouver while San Jose wraps up the campaign Saturday versus Calgary.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, Sportsnet West (Edmonton), NBC Sports California (San Jose)
ABOUT THE OILERS (44-26-9): Connor McDavid continued his charge toward the Art Ross Trophy by notching his 98th career assist on Tuesday that extended his point streak to 11 games. The 20-year-old captain, who has collected six goals and 14 assists during his run, leads the NHL with 95 points - seven more than 2015-16 scoring champion Patrick Kane of Chicago. Leon Draisaitl, who trails McDavid (29) by one goal for the team lead, also is riding an 11-game point streak during which he has registered five tallies and 14 assists.
ABOUT THE SHARKS (45-28-7): Like Thornton, Couture - who hasn't played since taking a puck to the mouth against Nashville on March 25 - feels as if he could return at any time. "I'm going to take part in pregame skate (Thursday) and go from there," the 28-year-old told the team's website. "It's literally day-to-day." Two defensemen are nearing milestones as Marc-Edouard Vlasic needs one assist to reach 200 for his career while Brent Burns, who leads the team with 74 points, is three shy of 500 in the NHL.
OVERTIME
1. San Jose is coming off a home-and-home sweep of Vancouver that followed a 1-8-0 stretch.
2. Edmonton LW Patrick Maroon's next game will be his 300th in the NHL.
3. Sharks RW Timo Meier was assigned to the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League on Wednesday for the second time in three days.