Programming note: Sharks-Coyotes coverage starts tonight at 6:30pm with Sharks Pregame Live on CSN California.
Where they stand
Sharks: 39-24-6, 84 points, 3rd Pacific Division
Coyotes: 30-32-7, 67 points, 4th Pacific Division
Playoff picture
The Sharks trail the Kings by five points and the Ducks by one point in the Pacific Division. Each team has 13 games remaining.
The Los Angeles hosts the Rangers tonight, while Anaheim is idle.
The latest
Sharks: Joonas Donskoi and Brent Burns each contributed one goal and one assist in a 3-2 Sharks win at home over Boston on Tuesday. James Reimer made 21 saves for his second straight win. San Jose has won seven of its last nine (7-2-0), and is 8-1-1 in its last 10 road games.
Coyotes: Mike Smith’s 44 saves keyed Arizona in a 4-0 win in Edmonton on Saturday. Antoine Vermette’s two goals and one assist paced the offense. The Coyotes have won their last two games after going 1-8-1 in their previous 10.
Keep an eye on…
Sharks: Joonas Donskoi. The rookie forward broke out of a scoring slump on Tuesday, tallying his first goal in 15 games against the Bruins and adding an assist. The third period power play marker turned out to be the game-winner. Prior to his two-point performance, Donskoi had just three assists in his previous 14 games.
Coyotes: Alex Tanguay. Acquired from Colorado on Feb. 29 as part of the Mikkel Boedker trade, Tanguay has posted six points in his first five games with the Coyotes (3g, 3a). The 36-year-old has had good career success against the Sharks, with 37 points (8g, 29a) in 48 games.
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
Martin Jones (confirmed starter)
James Reimer
Coyotes
Alex Tanguay – Antoine Vermette – Anthony Duclair
Max Domi – Brad Richardson – Shane Doan
Tobias Rieder – Martin Hanzal – Viktor Tikhonov
Jordan Martinook – Boyd Gordon – Sergei Plotnikov
Kevin Connauton – Connor Murphy
Klas Dahlbeck – Zbynek Michalek
Nicklas Grossmann – Michael Stone
Mike Smith (confirmed starter)
Louis Domingue
Vitals
Sharks
Goals per game: 2.94 (4th)
Goals-against per game: 2.58 (14th)
Power play: 22.2 percent (5th)
Penalty kill: 79.5 percent (23rd)
Coyotes
Goals per game: 2.67 (15th)
Goals-against per game: 3.04 (28th)
Power play: 18.9 percent (14th)
Penalty kill: 78.4 percent (25th)
Injuries/Scratches
Sharks: Matt Tennyson (head) is out.
Coyotes: Oliver Ekman-Larsson (upper body) is doubtful. Anders Lindback (achilles) and Joe Vitale (concussion symptoms) are out.
Season series
The Sharks have beaten the Coyotes twice this season on Jan. 21, 3-1 in Glendale, and at home on Feb. 13, 4-1.
San Jose is 12-3-3 against Arizona in the last 18 meetings, and 5-0-3 in its last eight trips to Gila River Arena.
The Coyotes are in San Jose on Sunday, and again on April 9 in the final game of the regular season.
