San Jose blinked with four straight losses and have seen their lead drop all the way to just a two-point advantage in the Pacific division. They'll hope to restore some order when they travel to Dallas, who's ready to pack things up as they're nearly mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. This is the third time both squads are meeting in March and they've split the first two games. Puck drop is set for 8:30 PM Eastern time and will be broadcast on NBC Sports (CSN) California and FSN Southwest.
Sharks (42-24-7, 91 points, 1st Pacific)
It's been a rough go for San Jose as they're closing things out in the Regular Season. They've lost five of their last seven games. After winning two games by a combined 9-2 goal margin, they've only scored four goals in the last four games. They showed better signs in a 3-2 loss against Minnesota, but a crazy stretch in the second period saw the Wild score two goals within 15 seconds.
Right wing Jannik Hansen (14 points) has been out of the last two games with an injury located in his upper body. He's probable for this contest. Defender Marc-Edouard Vlasic (22 points) is also probable after sitting the last game out due to sickness.
Stars (29-33-11, 69 points, 6th Central)
Dallas has seen their season realistically come to an end after losing five of their last seven games. They currently sit 16 points out of the second wild card spot and they only have a possible 18 points left. Strangely enough, one of those two recent wins came in a 1-0 defeat of San Jose.
Goalie Kari Lehtonen (18-22-6) recorded a perfect 30 saves.
Center Jason Spezza (42 points) could be out for a third consecutive game with back spasms. He hasn't scored a goal since March 8th against Ottawa. Without him, the Stars have really struggled on the offensive end.
San Jose is valued at -160 on the moneyline. They're 7-2 in their last nine games against teams with a losing record, but they're also 2-5 in the last seven meetings at Dallas. The over has been 7-1 in these team's last eight meetings.
