The second leg of the Stars' four-game road trip takes them to San Jose for the final meeting with the Sharks this season.
The last time the Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks met was March 5 in San Jose. It was one of the more memorable games this season, as the Stars rallied from a three-goal third-period deficit for a 7-6 overtime victory.
The two teams meet again for the final time this season Tuesday night at SAP Arena in San Jose. Ironically, the Sharks coughed up a 4-0 lead in their most recent game last Saturday against the Chicago Blackhawks, who scored two goals in the second period, two more in the third and the game-winner just 18 seconds into overtime.
Little has changed for the Sharks (16-46-8, 40 points) since that March 5 game against Dallas. They're currently mired in a seven-game losing streak (0-6-1) and have dropped 16 of their last 17 (1-13-3). They have the lowest point total in the NHL this season, with the Blackhawks five points behind.
Dallas (44-19-9), 97 points) has won four straight and sits in second place in the Central Division. A win against the Sharks would keep them on pace with a hot Colorado Avalanche club that has won nine in a row.
The Stars kicked off their four-game West Coast road trip with a 4-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes at Mullett Arena on Sunday. Miro Heiskanen scored the go-ahead goal at the 14:32 mark of the third period and Matt Duchene tallied an empty-netter after the Coyotes pulled goaltender Connor Ingram.
The road has been kind to the Stars this season. They sport a 22-9-5 record away from American Airlines Center and allow an average of 2.69 goals per game on the road, fourth-lowest in the NHL. San Jose is 10-20-4 at SAP Arena this season.
Over their last 10 games, the Stars are 8-2-0, averaging 4.1 goals per game while giving up 2.8 per game during that span.
Goalie Jake Oettinger has had the hot hand recently, going 3-0-0 over his last three games with a 2.01 goals-against average and .920 save percentage. Against the Sharks this season, he's 2-0-0 with a 3.79 GAA and .814 save percentage. Over his career, Oettinger has a 4-2-0 record with a 3.33 GAA and .860 sv% against the Sharks.
Things to Watch for:
- The Stars have been especially proficient on special teams against the Sharks this season, going 3-for-7 (42.0%) on the power play and 4-for-6 (66.7%) on the penalty kill.
- Stars captain Jamie Benn is on fire with goals in each of his last four games and points over his last six.
- Miro Heiskanen has points (0-10-10) in each of his last five games against the Sharks.
- Sharks forward Michael Granlund has been one of the few bright spots for the team recently, having scored 17 points (5-12-17) over his last 18 games.
- Forward Fabian Zetterlund leads the Sharks with a career-best 20 goals this season, one of five San Jose skaters with double-digit goal totals.
Projected Lines:
Robertson-Hintz-Pavelski
Marchment-Duchene-Dellandrea
Benn-Johnston-Stankoven
Smith-Faksa-Steel
Harley-Heiskanen
Lindell-Tanev
Suter-Lundkvist
Wedgewood
According to coach Pete Deboer, Tyler Seguin is merely getting a rest day after recently coming back from an injury.
Puck drop is at 9:30 Pm CT and can be seen on Bally Sports Southwest.
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