Vancouver @ San Jose preview
SAP Center at San Jose
Last Meeting ( Apr 2, 2019 ) San Jose 2, Vancouver 4
The San Jose Sharks try to continue their mastery of Vancouver when they host the Canucks on Saturday in a Pacific Division game. San Jose has won 12 of the last 14 meetings and seven straight encounters at the SAP Center but has lost four in a row and six of its last seven (1-5-1) after a 3-2 loss to Winnipeg on Friday despite outshooting the Jets 53-19.
The Sharks have scored six times during their slide and are near the bottom of the league at 2.4 goals per game. Vancouver lost 2-1 in overtime at Anaheim on Friday after the Canucks' Elias Pettersson hit the post at the regulation horn. Vancouver had won four of its previous five games, including a 5-3 victory over Los Angeles on Wednesday to begin its three-game California trip. The Canucks have earned a point in 10 of 11 games (8-1-2) after losing their first two contests of the season.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, CBC; Sportsnet One, Sportsnet Pacific (Vancouver), NBCS California (San Jose)
ABOUT THE CANUCKS (8-3-2): Pettersson (team-high 18 points) had his five-game point streak (two goals, 12 points) come to an end Friday. Rookie defenseman Quinn Hughes, who had three assists Wednesday, left Friday's game in the first period after sustaining an apparent ankle injury. Thatcher Demko (3-1-0, 1.73 goals-against average, .941 save percentage) is expected to start after Jacob Markstrom stopped 27 shots against Anaheim.
ABOUT THE SHARKS (4-9-1): Barclay Goodrow on Friday scored his fourth goal of the season after recording a career-high seven in each of the last two campaigns. Defenseman Brett Burns (team-high 13 points, minus-10) is second in the league at 26 minutes, 18 seconds played per game. Aaron Dell (2-2-0, 3.53, .891) will likely get the call in goal after Martin Jones made 16 saves versus Winnipeg in losing his fifth straight start.
OVERTIME
1. Demko (8-4-1, 2.58, .918 in 14 career games) made 33 saves in a 4-2 victory over San Jose last season in his only appearance against the Sharks.
2. San Jose recorded 28 shots in the second period Friday - one shy of the franchise record for any period.
3. Vancouver was 0-for-5 on the power play Friday after going 4-for-6 against Los Angeles.
PREDICTION: Sharks 3, Canucks 2