San Jose (42-11-10) at Vancouver (33-22-8), 10:00 p.m. EST
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Ticker) -- The San Jose Sharks will
attempt to get untracked Saturday when they visit the Vancouver
Canucks.
While the Sharks are tied with Detroit (43-14-8) atop the
Western Conference at 94 points, the club is in the midst of a
1-3-1 stretch.
San Jose's struggles were punctuated in Thursday's 4-3 overtime
loss to Minnesota. The Sharks opened a 3-0 lead by the second
period, but squandered the advantage and lost in overtime when
Mikko Koivu scored with 13.3 seconds left.
The Sharks' Brian Boucher, who made his fourth straight start in
place of top netminder Evgeni Nabokov, had a forgettable game.
His biggest gaffe came on Marek Zidlicky's game-tying goal - a
backhander from mid-ice that skipped between his pads.
Boucher could be in net again as Nabokov continues to recover
from a bout with the flu and a minor groin strain.
Left wing Travis Moen and defenseman Kent Huskins, who were
acquired by San Jose from Anaheim on Wednesday, are expected to
make their debut with the club.
While the Sharks have had their problems, the Canucks are 11-2-0
since the start of February.
Vancouver's success can be traced to goaltender Roberto Luongo,
who has won 11 of his last 12 games and hasn't given up more
than two goals in his past six starts.