Programming note: Bruins-Sharks coverage starts tonight at 7pm on NBCSN.
Where they stand
Sharks: 38-24-6, 82 points, 3rd Pacific Division
Bruins: 39-23-8, 86 points, 1st Atlantic Division
Playoff picture
The Sharks trail the Kings by five points and the Ducks by three points in the Pacific Division. Each team has 14 games remaining.
The Los Angeles visits Dallas tonight, while the Anaheim is idle.
The latest
Sharks: Joe Pavelski’s third period goal broke a 2-2 tie, and San Jose went on to a 5-2 win over Washington on Saturday at home. The Sharks have won six of their last eight (6-2-0), and wrap up a three-game homestand tonight. San Jose is 13-15-3 on its home ice this season.
Bruins: Boston brings a 5-0-2 mark in its last seven games into tonight, including a 3-1 victory over the Islanders at home on Saturday. The Bruins are beginning a stretch of eight of their next nine on the road, where they are 23-7-3.
Keep an eye on…
Sharks: Brenden Dillon. The robust defenseman has been adjusting to a new partner in trade deadline acquisition Roman Polak, and according to coach Pete DeBoer, the Dillon-Polak pair had its best game so far on Saturday against Washington (each was a plus-two). Dillon also scored a key insurance goal, just his second of the year, in the third period.
Bruins: Brad Marchand. The “little ball of hate” leads the Bruins with 34 goals, tied for third in the NHL, and has a team-high plus-22 rating. More than half of Marchand’s scores (18) have given the Bruins a lead, including 10 that have opened the scoring. The Bruins are 22-4-3 when he finds the back of the net.
Probable lines
Sharks
Tomas Hertl – Joe Thornton – Joe Pavelski
Melker Karlsson – Logan Couture – Joonas Donskoi
Matt Nieto – Patrick Marleau – Joel Ward
Nick Spaling – Chris Tierney – Dainius Zubrus
Marc-Edouard Vlasic – Justin Braun
Paul Martin – Brent Burns
Brenden Dillon – Roman Polak
James Reimer (confirmed starter)
Martin Jones
Bruins
Brad Marchand – Patrice Bergeron – Lee Stempniak
Loui Eriksson – David Krejci – David Pasternak
Matt Beleskey – Ryan Spooner – Jimmy Hayes
Landon Ferraro – Noel Acciari – Brett Connolly
Zdeno Chara – Kevan Miller
Dennis Seidenberg – John-Michael Liles
Torey Krug – Adam McQuaid
Tuukka Rask
Jonas Gustavsson
Vitals
Sharks
Goals per game: 2.94 (4th)
Goals-against per game: 2.59 (15th)
Power play: 22.2 percent (5th)
Penalty kill: 79.4 percent (23rd)
Bruins
Goals per game: 2.99 (3rd)
Goals-against per game: 2.67 (19th)
Power play: 21.7 percent (7th)
Penalty kill: 82.2 percent (10th)
Injuries/Scratches
Sharks: Matt Tennyson (possible concussion) and Tommy Wingels (healthy) are out.
Bruins: Chris Kelly (fractured femur) is out.
Season series
On Nov. 17 at TD Garden, the Sharks skated to a 5-4 win over Boston as Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton each struck for one goal and two assists.
Odds and ends
*James Reimer will get his third start in net for San Jose. He’s 1-1-1 with a 2.27 GAA and .935 SP in three games against the Bruins this season.
*The Sharks are 7-4-1 against Boston since the Joe Thornton trade. In 12 games against his former club, Thornton has 10 points (4g, 6a).
*San Jose is 8-3-3 in its last 14 home games.
