Programming note
Sharks-Kings coverage gets underway at 12:00 p.m. on NBC
Where they stand
Sharks: 40-32-9, 89 points, 5th Pacific Division
Kings: 39-27-15, 93 points, 4th Pacific Division
Playoff watch
The Sharks and Kings have both been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.
The latest
Sharks: Making his NHL debut, 29-year-old Bryan Lerg scored the game-winning goal late in the third period in a 3-1 Sharks win in Edmonton on Thursday. Patrick Marleau and Matt Nieto also scored, while Chris Tierney extended his point streak to five games. The Sharks are 21-15-4 on the road headed into their season finale.
Kings: The Kings were officially denied the chance to defend their Stanley Cup championship on Thursday, dropping a 3-1 decision in Calgary. They are the first team to miss the playoffs the year after winning it all since the 2006-07 Carolina Hurricanes. Los Angeles is 24-9-7 this season at Staples Center.
Keep an eye on…
Sharks: Bryan Lerg. The rookie provided one of the most exciting moments of the season on Thursday in what was a meaningless game in the standings, and assuming he plays, will get a chance to build off of a successful debut in Edmonton. Along with his goal, Lerg finished with a game-high 8 shots on goal and a +1 rating in 11:32 of ice time.
Kings: Drew Doughty. Following the first round playoff series last year, Doughty said that the Kings could “see it in the eyes” of the Sharks’ captains and leaders that they were worried about Los Angeles coming back. Doughty and Joe Thornton have had run-ins in the past. Perhaps they'll have some words on Saturday in a game that doesn’t matter.
Vital stats
Sharks
Goals per game: 2.75 (14th)
Goals-against per game: 2.74 (24th)
Power play: 21.5 percent (6th)
Penalty kill: 78.2 percent (25th)
Kings
Goals per game: 2.64 (19th)
Goals-against per game: 2.42 (7th)
Power play: 19.3 percent (11th)
Penalty kill: 81.1 percent (15th)
Probable lines
Sharks
Melker Karlsson – Joe Thornton – Joe Pavelski
Patrick Marleau – Logan Couture – Tomas Hertl
Matt Nieto – Chris Tierney – Tommy Wingels
John Scott – Ben Smith – Bryan Lerg
Brenden Dillon – Justin Braun
Matt Irwin – Taylor Fedun
Karl Stollery – Brent Burns
Antti Niemi
Alex Stalock
Kings
Marian Gaborik – Anze Kopitar – Justin Williams
Dwight King – Jeff Carter – Tyler Toffoli
Trevor Lewis – Jarret Stoll – Dustin Brown
Kyle Clifford – Mike Richards – Jordan Nolan
Jake Muzzin – Drew Doughty
Robyn Regehr – Alec Martinez
Brayden McNabb – Matt Greene
Jonathan Quick
Martin Jones
Injuries/Scratches
Sharks: Scott Hannan (facial injury) is questionable. Marc-Edouard Vlasic (lower body), Raffi Torres (right knee surgery) and Mirco Mueller (left hand) are out.
Kings: Tanner Pearson (broken left fibula) and Andrej Sekera (lower body) are out.
Season/All-Time series
The Sharks and Kings have split four games this season. They haven’t met since Feb. 21, when Los Angeles claimed a 2-1 win at Levi’s Stadium in front of 70,205 fans.
Patrick Marleau’s four points (2g, 2a) leads the Sharks, while Anze Kopitar has one goal and three assists vs. San Jose.
The Sharks are 69-52-14 all-time vs. the Kings. Home teams are 15-3-1 in the last 19 regular season meetings.
Quotable
“Both teams still have something to play for. They’re our rival. I’m sure the building will have some Sharks fans in it. We’re going to want to go out strong, and they’re going to want to go out strong, too.” – Logan Couture
