Sharks vs. Stars preview: Facing elimination in final home game
In all likelihood, tonight's matchup with Dallas will be the last hockey game played at SAP Center until the fall.
A loss tonight at home to the Dallas Stars or a win in any fashion by either the Winnipeg Jets or Los Angeles Kings in their respective Monday matchups would mathematically eliminate the Sharks from playoff contention, largely a formality after a regulation loss Saturday in Glendale effectively sealed San Jose's fate. In all likelihood, tonight's matchup with Dallas will be the final hockey game played at SAP Center until the fall.
Tale Of The Tape
 | @ |  |
| 38-31-10, 86 points | Record | 39-31-9, 87 points |
| 6th in Central | Rank | 5th in Pacific |
| 52.2% | Score-Adj. Fenwick | 51.2% |
| 99.4 | PDO | 99.1 |
| 18.4 | PP% | 21.6 |
| 80.5 | PK% | 78.3 |
7:30PM PDT | SAP Center | San Jose, California
TV: CSNCA+ | Radio: SJSharks.com, 98.5 KFOX
Know Your Enemy: Defending Big D
Projected Sharks Lineup
Joe Pavelski - Joe Thornton - Melker Karlsson
Patrick Marleau - Logan Couture - Barclay Goodrow
Matt Nieto - Chris Tierney - Tommy Wingels
Bryan Lerg - Ben Smith - Mike Brown
Brenden Dillon - Justin Braun
Karl Stollery - Brent Burns
Matt Irwin - Taylor Fedun
Alex Stalock
Antti Niemi
Projected Stars Lineup
Jamie Benn - Tyler Seguin - Valeri Nichushkin
Patrick Eaves - Jason Spezza - Ales Hemsky
Antoine Roussel - Cody Eakin - Ryan Garbutt
Travis Moen - Vernon Fiddler - Colton Sceviour
Alex Goligoski - John Klingberg
Jyrki Jokipakka - Trevor Daley
Jordie Benn - Jason Demers
Kari Lehtonen
Jhonas Enroth
Last Meeting
Andrew Desjardins scored twice in the Sharks' final game prior to the Stadium Series contest, a 5-2 victory in Dallas capped by a pair of empty-net goals from Patrick Marleau and Tommy Wingels.
Storylines
- Tomas Hertl is dealing with an illness and won't play tonight as the Sharks recalled Bryan Lerg, Worcester's 29-year-old leading scorer, from the AHL to replace him. Lerg will start on the fourth line with Ben Smith and Mike Brown while Barclay Goodrow moves up to take Hertl's spot on the second line.
- Marc-Edouard Vlasic remains out with an injury and will likely be shut down for the rest of the season, with the organization expected to re-evaluate his status after tonight's game.
- Alex Stalock gets the start for the Sharks against Kari Lehtonen for the Stars, the Olympic netminder whose uncharacteristically poor season sunk Dallas' playoff hopes./