The Dallas Stars visit the San Jose Sharks tonight and the Sharks are looking for some revenge. The last time these two teams met was in Dallas and the Stars showed the Sharks what elite NHL teams do. Dallas smothered Macklin Celebrini and the Sharks, shutting down all offensive hope and then beating the Sharks 4-1. San Jose would love to get one back, this time in the team’s own barn.
The Stars are 22-7-5 on the season and remain second in the Central Division, though how long Dallas will stay that way is the real question. With the big shake-up in the division, the Minnesota Wild now have one of the best defensemen in the league in Quinn Hughes. The Stars will have to continue winning if the team wants to stay ahead of the Wild. So far, the Stars have done that. The team is 7-2-1 in its last 10 games.
Special teams might be an issue for the Sharks. The Stars have one of the best power plays in the league. It’s operating at a 31.4% this season. Dallas’ penalty kill is also doing well. It’s at a 82.4% compared to the Sharks’ 78.6%.
The Sharks will have to keep an eye on Mikko Rantanen, who was not only a menace on the ice last game but also on the scoreboard. He has 44 points in 33 games this season. Jason Robertson leads the Stars with 20 goals. Wyatt Johnson is second on the team with 17 goals. In the net, Jake Oettinger is 14-6-2 with a .907 save percentage. Casey DeSmith is the backup, but he’s been more than servicable. He has an 8-1-3 record with a .913 save percentage. Oettinger was in the net to beat the Sharks the last time these two teams met.
The last time these two teams met was Dec. 5 in Dallas when the Stars won. They will play one more time after tonight on Jan. 10.
San Jose Sharks lines tonight
The Bay Area News Group’s Curtis Pashelka reports that Ty Dellandrea and Adam Gaudette will play tonight, while Jeff Skinner will be scratched. The same defensive pairs at Tuesday night will play tonight. In the net, look for Alex Nedeljkovic. Here’s what we think the lines will look like tonight based on all of that information.
Forwards
Collin Graf — Macklin Celebrini — Igor Chernyshov
William Eklund — Alexander Wennberg — Tyler Toffoli
Adam Gaudette — Ty Dellandrea — Ethan Cardwell
Barclay Goodrow — Zack Ostapchuk — Ryan Reaves
Defense
Mario Ferraro — Timothy Liljegren
Dmitry Orlov — John Klingberg
Shakir Mukhamadullin — Vincent Iorio
Goaltenders
Alex Nedeljkovic
Yaroslav Askarov
Dallas Stars lines tonight vs. San Jose Sharks
As for the Dallas Stars, here are the projected lines for tonight, according to NHL.com. Tyler Seguin and Lian Bichsel are still out with injuries. It looks like Oettinger will be in the net again tonight.
Forwards
Matt Duchene — Wyatt Johnston — Mikko Rantanen
Jason Robertson — Roope Hintz — Jamie Benn
Justin Hryckowian — Sam Steel — Mavrik Bourque
Oskar Back — Radek Faksa — Colin Blackwell
Defense
Esa Lindell — Miro Heiskanen
Thomas Harley — Alex Petrovic
Nils Lundkvist — Ilya Lybushkin
Goaltenders
Jake Oettinger
Casey DeSmith
How to watch Dallas Stars at San Jose Sharks tonight
The puck drops at 7 p.m. PT/9 p.m. CT at SAP Center in San Jose.
Sharks fans can watch the game on NBCSCA or listen on the Sharks Audio Network.
Stars fans can watch the game on Victory+ or listen to the call on 96.7 FM The Ticket and 1310 AM.
If you’re not headed to the game, be sure to come back here at game time to talk with other Sharks fans about what’s happening on the ice and around the league.
