San Jose @ Columbus preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 1, 2018 ) Columbus 4, San Jose 1

Matt Duchene was kept off the scoresheet against his former team just hours after being traded, but the Columbus Blue Jackets managed to come away with a victory anyway. Duchene and the Blue Jackets look to make it two in a row when they begin a five-game homestand Saturday against the San Jose Sharks.

The 28-year-old Duchene registered three shots in 19 minutes, 11 seconds of ice time for Columbus in Friday's 3-0 triumph at Ottawa, which dealt the veteran center - along with defenseman Julius Bergman - for a pair of prospects and two first-round draft picks (one of them conditional). Sergei Bobrovsky made 22 saves en route to his fourth shutout of the campaign and Cam Atkinson scored his team-leading 33rd goal for the Blue Jackets, who climbed into third place in the Metropolitan Division. San Jose began its four-game trek by extending its road winning streak to six games with a 4-0 victory in Pittsburgh on Thursday. Tomas Hertl scored twice while defenseman Brent Burns notched a goal and two assists for the Sharks, who entered Friday one point behind Calgary for first place in the Pacific Division.

TV: 5 p.m. ET, NBCS California (San Jose), FS Ohio (Columbus)

ABOUT THE SHARKS (36-17-8): Micheal Haley began his second stint with San Jose on Thursday, registering two hits and blocking a shot in 8 1/2 minutes of ice time. The 32-year-old forward, who recorded three goals, 10 assists and 187 penalty minutes in 78 games with the Sharks from 2014-17, was claimed off waivers from Florida on Wednesday. Burns' multi-point effort was his fifth in 10 games, a stretch during which he has collected three goals and 12 assists.

ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (34-23-3): A two-time All-Star who was selected by Colorado with the third overall pick in the 2009 draft, Duchene has eclipsed the 20-goal plateau seven times in his career and has been held without a point in back-to-back games only twice this season - most recently on Nov. 3 and 4. He recorded 27 goals and 31 assists in 50 contests with the Senators and posted two-point performances in four of his final six games with the club. Center Pierre-Luc Dubois landed on the scoresheet for just the second time in six contests on Friday with an assist, which was his 100th career point.

OVERTIME

1. Atkinson is two goals away from matching the career high he recorded in 2016-17.

2. San Jose is 8-1-1 in its last 10 overall contests.

3. Columbus D Ryan Murray (upper body) was placed on injured reserve and is out indefinitely.

PREDICTION: Sharks 4, Blue Jackets 2