Chicago @ San Jose preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 16, 2018 ) San Jose 7, Chicago 3

The schedule is setting up nicely over the final five weeks of the season for the San Jose Sharks, who will play 11 of their final 17 regular-season games at SAP Center. However, the short-term health of the team could be an issue when the Sharks continue their four-game homestand against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.

Coach Peter DeBoer told reporters at Saturday's optional practice that there's a “little bit of a flu bug going through the team,” which could leave San Jose without both of its Norris Trophy-winning defensemen on Sunday. Leading scorer Brent Burns missed Saturday's practice due to illness and Erik Karlsson will sit out his second straight game after tweaking a groin injury in Tuesday's loss at Boston. The Sharks opened the homestand with a 4-3 victory over Colorado and will face another Central Division opponent in Chicago, which has dropped three of four to fall back in the race for the second wild card in the Western Conference after getting flattened by last-place Los Angeles on Saturday. "I certainly don’t think we’re in a position where we can’t respect our opponents," Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith told reporters. "If anything, they should not be having respect for us, the way we’ve been playing."

TV: 10 p.m. ET, NBCS Chicago, NBCS California (San Jose)

ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (27-29-9): Patrick Kane was kept off the scoresheet for the second time in three contests following a 20-game point streak, but Chicago's biggest problem is in the defensive zone. The Blackhawks have surrendered 18 goals during their 1-3-0 stretch, including one-third of that number in Saturday's 6-3 loss to a Los Angeles team that had dropped its previous 10 contests. Brendan Perlini, who was back in the lineup after Drake Caggiula suffered a concussion in Wednesday's win at Anaheim, tallied twice on Saturday to end his 12-game goal-scoring drought.

ABOUT THE SHARKS (38-19-8): Evander Kane is dealing with a middle-body ailment that kept him out of Friday's contest and is listed as questionable to face Chicago, but Marcus Sorensen made an impact in his return from a two-game absence due to a mouth injury. Playing on a revamped line with Joe Thornton and the newly acquired Gustav Nyquist, Sorensen scored twice for the first two-goal performance of his career. "l played with good players. They do plays that make me better, so it's easy for me to come out there," Sorensen told reporters. "It's good to be back. It's no fun to be watching."

OVERTIME

1. Burns, who notched his team-best 71st point on Thursday, has played in 454 consecutive regular-season games.

2. Blackhawks G Cam Ward allowed five goals in relief in a 7-3 loss to San Jose on Dec. 16.

3. Thornton will tie Alex Delvecchio for 14th place on the all-time list when he appears in his 1,550th contest on Sunday.

PREDICTION: Sharks 5, Blackhawks 3