Morning Skate: Tierney improving as Sharks visit Senators

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Programming note: Sharks-Senators coverage starts tonight at 4:00 p.m. with Sharks Pregame Live on CSN California.

Where they stand
Sharks: 16-14-1, 33 points, 2nd Pacific Division
Senators: 16-11-5, 37 points, 4th Atlantic Division

The latest

Sharks: San Jose erased a 4-2 third period deficit to beat the Maple Leafs in overtime on Thursday, 5-4. Brent Burns and Joe Pavelski each had one goal and two assists, with Burns scoring the game-winner. The Sharks are 2-0 on a five-game road trip that continues in Chicago on Sunday.

[KURZ: Sharks jolted back to life in second intermission of Toronto win]

Senators: Ottawa has lost three of its last four games in regulation, including a 2-1 defeat in Washington on Wednesday. Bobby Ryan was the Senators’ lone goal scorer.

Keep an eye on…

San Jose Sharks

Find the latest San Jose Sharks news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.

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Sharks: Chris Tierney. The second-year forward has been playing good hockey of late, and was rewarded on the scoresheet when he set up Matt Nieto’s game-tying goal in the third period on Thursday, minutes after failing to convert on a penalty shot. The Sharks need him to keep improving –- and producing -– to take some heat off of their top scorers.

Senators: Erik Karlsson. The defending Norris Trophy winner leads the Senators with 35 points (7g, 28a), including 13 on the power play. Ottawa’s 25-year-old captain has seven points in seven career games against the Sharks (3g, 4a), and is third in the NHL with 27:37 of ice time per game.

Probable lines

Sharks
Dainius Zubrus – Joe Thornton – Joe Pavelski
Melker Karlsson – Patrick Marleau – Joel Ward
Joonas Donskoi – Chris Tierney – Matt Nieto
Tommy Wingels – Tomas Hertl – Mike Brown

Marc-Edouard Vlasic – Justin Braun
Paul Martin – Brent Burns
Dylan DeMelo – Brenden Dillon

Martin Jones
Alex Stalock

Senators
Mike Hoffman – Mika Zibanejad – Bobby Ryan
Zack Smith – Kyle Turris – Mark Stone
David Dziurzynski – Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Alex Chiasson
Shane Prince – Curtis Lazar – Chris Neil

Marc Methot – Erik Karlsson
Patrick Wiercioch – Cody Ceci
Mark Borowiecki – Chris Wideman

Craig Anderson
Andrew Hammond

Vitals

Sharks
Goals per game: 2.65 (13th)
Goals-against per game: 2.68 (20th)
Power play: 19.2 percent (14th)
Penalty kill: 82.5 percent (10th)

Senators
Goals per game: 2.97 (4th)
Goals-against per game: 2.88 (24th)
Power play: 20.2 percent (11th)
Penalty kill: 78.3 percent (23rd)

Injuries/Scratches

Sharks: Logan Couture (arterial bleeding in right thigh) and Ben Smith (concussion) are out.

Senators: Chris Phillips (back), Clarke MacArthur (concussion) and Milan Michalek (fractured finger) are out.

Season series

The Sharks are 7-3-0 in their last 10 meetings with the Senators. They had a four-game winning streak in Ottawa snapped last season.

Ottawa is at SAP Center on Jan. 18.

Odds and ends

*Of the Sharks’ 16 wins, 12 have come against Eastern Conference opponents.

*San Jose has killed off 30 of 33 power plays against over the last 11 games.

*Patrick Marleau has 16 points (9g, 7a) in his last 15 games.

*The Sharks are 12-1 when leading after the first period, and 0-9 when trailing.

*San Jose is 3-2-1 in the second of back-to-back games this season.

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