• Michal Handzus will be in the lineup to replace Torrey Mitchell tonight. Mitchell is out with an undisclosed injury he sustained during Thursday game against the Kings.
• Antti Niemi will be in net for San Jose, while Jonathan Quick is expected to start for Los Angeles.
• San Jose's chance at a fifth straight Division title are looking grim as of this posting, with Phoenix leading the Minnesota Wild 3-1 heading into the third period. If the Coyotes pick up at least a point (which it looks likely they will), the Sharks will face either the Vancouver Canucks or St. Louis Blues in the first round.
• Ryane Clowe says he is "ready and willing" if the Kings target him tonight.
• Todd McLellan and Darryl Sutter on what this game means for their teams with the playoffs already clinched.

Puck drops at 7:37 PM.

Not your run of the mill gameday today, as storms and tornado warnings hit the surrounding area hard throughout the day. As someone who grew up in Minnesota, tornados are a harrowing experience that don't ever get easier to deal with no matter how often they occur. Our thoughts go out to the families in Texas who dealt with this throughout the day.

Some assorted notes to tide you over before tonight's huge game against the Stars that could end up determining both team's playoff fate:

• Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen get the go between the pipes for the Sharks and Stars respectively.
• David Pollak of Working The Corners covers the tornado warnings and indicates that Douglas Murray will be a game-time decision.
• Dallas General Manager Joe Nieuwendyk was on Puck Daddy radio this afternoon to talk about the Stars stretch drive.
• Kevin Kurz of CSN's Sharks Talk blog looks at what to watch for tonight.
• More from Kurz on Martin Havlat and Logan Couture.
• Video of pregame quotes from Logan Couture, Todd McLellan, Adam Burish, and Glen Gulutzan.

Puck drops at 5:37 PM.

AND HERE WE GO!

Tonight, the San Jose Sharks host the Colorado Avalanche with two critical points on the line. At press time, the Sharks find themselves one point out of first in the Pacific Division and are in ninth place of the Western Conference Playoff standings despite being tied in points with the Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings {The Kings hold the tie breaker and are in the eighth seed}.

A familiar face will be returning to HP Pavilion tonight in Jamie McGinn, whom Sharks General Manager Doug Wilson traded along with Mike Connolly and top prospect Michael Sgarbossa {who finished as the OHL scoring leader with 102 points on 46 goals and 56 assists} to the Avalanche for Daniel Winnik and T.J. Galiardi at the trade deadline.

Before the puck drops tonight, here are some links to get you in game mode:

• David Pollak of "Working the Corners" takes a look at the McGinn homecoming and the Andrew Desjardins line.
• Sharks head coach Todd McLellan tells Pollak that wins are all that matter at this point.
• Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area takes a look at how McGinn has flourished with the Avalanche since being traded from the Sharks.
• Kurz previews tonight's Avalanche/Sharks game.
• Scott Reiss of CSN Bay Area asks for the real Sharks to please swim forward.
• Kurz talks about tonight's reunion at the tank.
• Kurz discusses how the Sharks respond to adversity.
• Kurz takes a look at how Ryane Clowe and Michal Handzus have been key in shootouts.
• Yahoo Sports previews tonight's Avalanche/Sharks game.
• The Chronicle Herald takes a look inside the frustration of the Halifax Mooseheads after Sharks prospect Konrad Abeltshauser was suspended two games for being too tall.

Enjoy the articles and enjoy the game. As always, GO SHARKS GO!

Sharks fans, WE ARE LIVE!

Tonight, your San Jose Sharks host the Phoenix Coyotes with two critical points at stake. In their last 10 games, both teams are 4-3-3. In the Pacific Division at press time, the Sharks trail the Dallas Stars by one point and trail both the Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings by two points.

Before the puck drops tonight at 7PM {yes early game tonight}, here are some articles to get you excited.

• Todd McLellan tells David Pollak of "Working the Corners" that the Sharks' playoffs have begun.
• Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area takes a look at how the Sharks are dealing with their playoff stress.
• Kurz discusses how there was no panic in the Sharks in their 2-1 win over the Bruins Thursday night.
• Kurz discusses how the Sharks have options at forward now with Tommy Wingels back.
• The San Jose website previews tonight's Coyotes/Sharks game.
• Yahoo Sports previews tonight's Coyotes/Sharks game.
• Mike Billings of the AHL website takes a look at Worcester Sharks defenseman Sena Acolatse.

So kick back, relax, check out the articles and enjoy the game. As always, GO SHARKS GO!

It's a must-win game tonight as the San Jose Sharks host the Boston Bruins at HP Pavilion.

Get used to this feeling because from here on out every game is paramount.

• The Phoenix Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche will do battle at Jobing.com Arena tonight, meaning that someone directly ahead of San Jose will be picking up two points. The Avalanche and Coyotes look like the two teams who have the biggest chance of either missing the playoffs or winding up in the 8 seed this season based off point totals and my prognostications, which means that staying in that bottom seed race with a win is going to be essential for San Jose.
• The Sharks will play the Coyotes on Saturday and the Avalanche on Monday.
• Other playoff race matchups to keep your eye on-- Dallas is currently hosting Vancouver, Calgary is in Minnesota, and St. Louis is visiting Los Angeles.
• David Pollak of Working The Corners talks to Sharks Head Coach Todd McLellan who says that he doesn't want his players trying to do too much.
• CSN's Sharks Talk correspondent Kevin Kurz breaks down what to watch for during tonight's tilt.
• Puck Daddy takes a look at the new NHL playoff spots.

Puck drops at 7:37 PM.

Sharks fans, IT'S TIME!

Tonight, the San Jose Sharks travel down south to the Staples Center to play the hosting Los Angeles Kings in a CRITICAL/CRUCIAL match-up.

The Sharks are coming off an embarrassing 5-3 home loss to the Anaheim Ducks last night while the Kings have won four in a row and are coming off a 4-2 win over the Nashville Predators on St. Patrick's Day.

Before tonight's main event, here are some preliminary links to get the blood flowing.

• Yahoo Sports previews tonight's Sharks/Kings game.
• CSN Bay Area Kevin Kurz's takes a look at a disturbing trend for the Sharks.
• Kurz discusses how big of a hit the Sharks' playoff chances took with the loss to the Ducks.
• Kurz previews what to watch for in tonight's Sharks/Kings game.
• David Pollak of "Working the Corners" discusses last night's missed opportunity.
• The NCAA D1 Men's Hockey tournament bracket. Three Sharks prospects will be participating {Isaac MacLeod of Boston College; Lee Moffie of Michigan and Matt Nieto of Boston University}.
• Sharks prospects Colin Blackwell of Harvard University, along with teammate Patrick McNally, were named final ECAC Rookie's of the Week for March 13 and March 20.

Enjoy the links and the game and as always, GO SHARKS!

Enjoy.

Sharks fans, WE ARE LIVE!

Tonight, the San Jose Sharks return home to the Shark Tank of HP Pavilion to host the Nashville Predators in tonight's featured attraction in a critical game for the Western Conference playoff race.

For those who haven't heard, the big news out of Teal Town today is Marty Havlat will be back in the Sharks lineup. How will his return impact the Sharks? Tune in to tonight's main event to find out.

Before the featured bout, here are some preliminary links to get your adrenaline pumping.

• David Pollak of "Working the Corners" talks with Sharks head coach Todd McLellan about the recent road trip and what grade he would give it.
• Pollak posting the news of Havlat being in the line-up tonight on WTC.
• Pollak talks with Havlat about his return to the line-up tonight.
• The Sharks' website previews tonight's game.
• Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area discusses how the Jamie McGinn trade derailed the Sharks' offense.
• Kurz gives his top 5 Sharks plays of the week.
• CSN Bay Area staff report on newly signed Sharks Sebastian Stalberg.
• Kurz discusses Havlat being back in the Sharks line-up tonight.
• Brodie Brazil takes a look to the path to the 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Enjoy the articles, kick back and enjoy tonight's game. As always, GO SHARKS GO!

SHARKS FANS, WE ARE LIVE!

Tonight, the San Jose Sharks invade the Scotiabank Saddledome to play the hosting Calgary Flames in the second game of a back-to-back, and will look to extend their winning streak to two games while also making up ground in both the Pacific Division and Western Conference Playoff standings.

Before tonight's main event, here are some preliminary links to get your adrenaline flowing.

• David Pollak of "Working the Corners" discusses tonight's Sharks/Flames game.
• CSN Bay Area's Kevin Kurz previews tonight's Sharks/Flames game.
• Kurz discusses how this back-to-back set of games may benefit the Sharks.
• Kurz discusses who the starting goaltender for the Sharks will be and why Tommy Wingels will be out of the line-up.
• Yahoo Sports takes a look at the NHL GM's wanting to reduce lazy offense and hybrid icing with tweaks.
• Katie Strang of ESPN New York discusses the sudden retirement of Sean Avery.

Kick back, enjoy the links, have fun watching the game and as always, GO SHARKS GO!

Hang on to something...