San Jose @ Anaheim preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 5, 2019 ) San Jose 1, Anaheim 3

Having reached the Western Conference finals in 2018-19, the San Jose Sharks were among the league's biggest disappointments, winning only four times in 15 games over the first month of the season. However, San Jose has abruptly turned things around following a five-game slide and will go for their fifth straight victory at the skidding Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night.

A lack of offense had stymied the Sharks, who scored only eight times during the five-game losing streak before erupting for 18 goals in winning their last four. "I think it's about the whole team sticking together, everybody getting pluses and playing right," said Tomas Hertl, who has scored in four straight games. "It's not just one guy. We have to help each other." The Ducks are heading in the opposite direction as San Jose, losing four in a row (0-2-2) after opening their seven-game homestand with back-to-back victories. “We want to be urgent as a (coaching) staff every day, making sure we’re giving these guys ... everything they need to be better today,” coach Dallas Eakins said. “You want the players to be urgent every day, but you do have to have a level of patience.”

TV: 10 p.m. ET, NBCS California (San Jose), KCOP-13 (Anaheim)

ABOUT THE SHARKS (8-10-1): After being limited to two goals or fewer in nine of the first 15 games, San Jose put up a season-high six tallies in two of the past three contests, with six players scoring in Tuesday's 6-3 rout of Edmonton. Hertl, Timo Meier and Barclay Goodrow ignited the victory, combining for three goals and five points. "I think our line has played well the last four or five games that we've been together," Goodrow said. "We'd just like to keep building on that every night and I think our team as a whole is finding its stride a little bit."

ABOUT THE DUCKS (9-8-2): Anaheim had won its first eight games when taking a lead into the final 20 minutes but it has been unable to protect a pair of third-period leads in its last three contests, including Tuesday's overtime setback to Detroit. Ondrej Kase ended a five-game point drought by setting up a pair of goals Tuesday and also collected two assists in a 3-1 win over San Jose on Oct. 5, giving him six points in nine games against the Sharks. The Ducks' power play continues to sputter, ranking 30th in the league by converting on 4 of 49 chances.

OVERTIME

1. Ducks F Jakob Silfverberg has a team-high 15 points but has only 12 in 27 games versus San Jose.

2. The Sharks have the league's best penalty kill with a success rate of 91.4 percent.

3. Anaheim will play the 1,000th home game in franchise history Thursday.

PREDICTION: Sharks 3, Ducks 2