Programming note
Sharks-Oilers coverage gets underway at 6:00 p.m. with Sharks Pregame Live on Comcast SportsNet California
Where they stand
Sharks: 39-32-9, 87 points, 5th Pacific Division
Oilers: 24-43-13, 61 points, 6th Pacific Division
Playoff watch
The Sharks have been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.
The latest
Sharks: The Sharks have lost two straight, ruining their already slim chances at making the playoffs for an 11th straight season. On Monday, Jamie Benn scored twice as Dallas cruised past San Jose at SAP Center, 5-1. The Sharks finished their home schedule just 19-17-5, and close out the season on Saturday in Los Angeles.
Oilers: Matt Fraser scored twice in Edmonton’s 4-2 home win over the Kings on Tuesday, putting a serious dent in Los Angeles’ playoff hopes. The Oilers, 4-20-3 against the Pacific Division, will close out their home schedule tonight where they are 15-22-3. They wrap up the season Saturday in Vancouver.
Keep an eye on…
Sharks: Chris Tierney. The Sharks’ third line center continues to be on the team’s best players since the All-Star break, with at least a point in eight of the last 10 games. The 20-year-old also brings a four-game point streak into tonight’s game, with 2 goals and 3 assists over that span. The former second round pick in 2012 has 20 points (6g, 14a) in 41 games this season.
Oilers: Laurent Brossoit. The AHL recall is reportedly set to make his NHL debut tonight after posting a 22-21-4 record with a 2.65 GAA and .916 SP in 49 games with Oklahoma City. The 22-year-old was originally drafted in the sixth round by Calgary in 2011 before he was traded to the Oilers on Nov. 8, 2013.
Vital stats
Sharks
Goals per game: 2.75 (14th)
Goals-against per game: 2.76 (24th)
Power play: 21.6 percent (6th)
Penalty kill: 78.0 percent (25th)
Oilers
Goals per game: 2.34 (26th)
Goals-against per game: 3.34 (30th)
Power play: 17.9 percent (18th)
Penalty kill: 76.3 percent (29th)
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 (confirmed starter)
Alex Stalock
Oilers
Benoit Pouliot – Taylor Hall – Jordan Eberle
Teddy Purcell – Derek Roy – Nail Yakupov
Matt Fraser – Anton Lander – Tyler Pitlick
Luke Gazdic – Rob Klinkhammer – Curtis Hamilton
Oscar Klefbom – Justin Schultz
Martin Marincin – David Musil
Brandon Davidson – Keith Aulie
Laurent Brossoit (confirmed starter)
Ben Scrivens
Injuries/Scratches
Sharks: Scott Hannan (facial injury), Marc-Edouard Vlasic (lower body), Raffi Torres (right knee surgery) and Mirco Mueller (left hand) are out.
Oilers: Iiro Pakarinen (knee), Andrew Ference (concussion), Boyd Gordon (back), Mark Fayne (shoulder), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (lower body) and Nikita Nikitin (undisclosed) are day-to-day. Viktor Fasth (knee) is on injured reserve.
Season/All-Time series
The Sharks are 2-1-1 against Edmonton headed into the final game of the season series. Joe Pavelski leads both sides with four goals, while Joe Thornton has five assists. Edmonton’s Jordan Eberle has 5 points (3g, 2a) in four games against San Jose.
San Jose is 48-37-20 all-time vs. Edmonton, and 19-3-4 in the last 26 meetings.
Quotable
“It sucks. There’s nothing else you can really say. As hockey players, you want to give yourself an opportunity to play for the Stanley Cup. We’re not going to have that chance this year. Especially with the way last year ended, it’s very, very disappointing.” – Logan Couture
