NHL Gameday: Another back-to-back as Sharks visit Ottawa

Programming note – Sharks-Senators coverage starts today at 3:30 p.m. with Sharks Pregame Live on CSN California

WHERE THEY STAND

Sharks: 17-11-1, 35 points, 1st Pacific Division
Senators: 16-11-2, 34 points, 2nd Atlantic Division

PREGAME NEWS AND NOTES

***Ottawa has won five straight over the Sharks, including Dec. 7, 4-2 at SAP Center. The Sharks felt they deserved better in that one, though, after outshooting the Senators 37-17. Erik Karlsson had one goal and two assists for the Senators, and Mike Condon made 35 saves.

“I thought we were the better team, start to finish,” Logan Couture said after the game.

***The Sharks will be playing the second of a four-game road trip, beating the Maple Leafs in Toronto on Tuesday, 3-2 in a shootout. It’s also the second of a back-to-back for San Jose, which is 3-1 in such situations so far, including a win over Carolina last Saturday.

Ottawa is opening a brief two-game homestand. The Sens haven’t played since getting spanked by the Ducks in Anaheim on Sunday, 5-1. That concluded a four-game road trip in which they went 1-3, with the lone win coming over the Sharks.

***Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who missed Tuesday's game, will be a game-time decision according to coach Pete DeBoer. Martin Jones will make his second start in as many nights.

KEEP AN EYE ON...

Sharks: David Schlemko. The defenseman returned to the Sharks’ lineup on Tuesday in Toronto, skating mostly with Justin Braun in place of the injured Marc-Edouard Vlasic. He recorded a game-high seven shots in 17:08 of ice time, and although he’s still looking for his first goal as a Shark, he’s sixth on the team with 51 shots this season.

Senators: Kyle Turris. The 27-year-old center has 19 points this season, with seven of his team-leading 11 goals goals coming at home. The third overall pick in the 2007 draft, Turris has eight points (3g, 5a) in the last 10 games.

PROBABLE LINES

Sharks
Patrick Marleau – Joe Thornton – Joe Pavelski
Joonas Donskoi – Logan Couture – Joel Ward
Kevin Labanc – Chris Tierney – Mikkel Boedker
Matt Nieto – Tommy Wingels – Melker Karlsson

Paul Martin – Brent Burns
David Schlemko – Justin Braun
Brenden Dillon – Dylan DeMelo

Martin Jones (starter)
Aaron Dell

Senators
Mike Hoffman – Derick Brassard – Mark Stone
Ryan Dzingel – Kyle Turris – Bobby Ryan
Zack Smith – Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Tom Pyatt
Chris Kelly – Curtis Lazar – Chris Neil

Marc Methot – Erik Karlsson
Dion Phaneuf – Cody Ceci
Ben Harpur – Chris Wideman

Mike Condon (starter)
Andrew Hammond

INJURIES/SCRATCHES

Sharks: Marc-Edouard Vlasic (lower body) is questionable. Tomas Hertl (right knee sprain) is out.

Senators: Craig Anderson (personal), Curtis Lazar (concussion) and Chris Wideman (upper body) are day-to-day. Clarke MacArthur (concussion) and Fredrik Claesson (lower body) are out.

QUOTEABLE

“Guys just didn’t have the grit, weren’t going. It was top to bottom. I think we found it in the third, but we can’t come out in games like that and just be that flat."  - Justin Braun, after the Sharks’ 3-2 shootout win in Toronto on Tuesday