Sharks at Lightning
The San Jose Sharks have enjoyed their trips to Florida the last few seasons and can complete another sweep when they visit the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night. The Sharks are 6-1-0 in their last seven games in the Sunshine State after knocking off the Florida Panthers 4-2 on Thursday with four unanswered goals and can win for the fourth straight time at Tampa Bay.
Captain Joe Pavelski, who leads the team with 14 points, scored his fifth goal in Thursday’s victory and has tallied six times in 11 career games against the Lightning. San Jose is 2-0-0 to start its six-game trip and is 22-for-22 on the penalty kill in the last nine contests while Tampa Bay is 8-for-27 on the power play over its last six outings, including two in Thursday’s 4-1 triumph against the New York Islanders. Captain Steven Stamkos owns 17 points to lead the Lightning, who have earned points in six of seven games (5-1-1) on home ice. “The one thing with Stammer, he’s been making his own breaks,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper told reporters. “He’s been really on the right side of pucks.”
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSN California (San Jose), FSN Sun (Tampa Bay)
ABOUT THE SHARKS (8-6-0): While San Jose is fifth in the league in penalty killing at 88.6 percent entering Friday, it has converted only one power-play opportunity in 16 chances over the last five contests. Defenseman Brent Burns is second behind Pavelski with 13 points while Patrick Marleau (three goals, one assist), Joel Ward (three points) and Mikkel Boedker (two goals, zero assists) have been cold in the early going. Goalie Martin Jones earned his first shutout of the season two starts ago with 24 saves and has started 10 straight contests.
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (8-5-1): Nikita Kucherov continues to prosper while playing with Stamkos, notching his fourth goal in five games Thursday to gain his 16th point – second on the team. Vladislav Namestnikov played with Stamkos and Kucherov against the Islanders and Tyler Johnson notched a goal while skating with rookie Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat - his fifth of the season. Ben Bishop (5-4-0, .907 save percentage) is expected to be back between the pipes Saturday after Andrei Vasilevskiy was outstanding while stopping 31 shots Thursday.
OVERTIME
1. Lightning F Jonathan Drouin has missed the last four games with a concussion and there is no timetable for his return.
2. San Jose C Joe Thornton is 27th on the NHL’s all-time points list with 1,352, one behind Guy Lafleur and two back of Brendan Shanahan for 25th.
3. Tampa Bay D Victor Hedman owns eight assists this season and 188 in his career, passing Dan Boyle (187) for the lead among all blue liners in Lightning history.