The Sharks have beaten some good teams on their current seven-game win streak. They bested the Capitals with superior offense in a 3-2 showing, and they held steadfast to extinguish the Calgary Flames in the shootout in their 4-3 win. They also took out the Pittsburgh Penguins, and just before that - the Detroit Red Wings.
They'll try to make it 2-0 against said Red Wings on this winning streak, which will be at eight if they're successful. In the last meeting between the two teams, Devin Setoguchi was right in the middle of his recent hot streak, grabbing two goals, including the game winner in the third period. Ryane Clowe and Joe Thornton also provided scoring in the meeting, that also saw goalie Antti Niemi make 35 saves.
It was a game in which the Sharks attempted 43 shots, and a game where Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard actually looked good. It's shame that you can stop 39 shots and still be given the loss, but that's just what happened, and the Sharks aren't about to apologize. They had better not, because Detroit is a scary team on any given day. The Red Wings have lost a little bit of momentum though, dropping a 2-1 outing to the Anaheim Ducks in their first road loss in about a month.
Pavel Datsyuk had the only goal for Detroit, who did win their last outing in San Jose. Dastsyuk scored then, too, along with Henrik Zetterberg notching two of his own. Goalie Jimmy Howard is 3-2-1 with a 2.81 GAA when facing the Sharks, and that includes two losses this season.
The Sharks beat the Colorado Avalanche in their second straight shootout win in their last outing. Joe Thornton scored in regulation, while Ryane Clowe was the lone scorer in the shootout, taking the first shot. Antti Niemi made 18 saves in the win. It's the longest winning streak of the season for the Sharks, who currently lead the Pacific division.
Both teams could be without significant players, as Dan Boyle could miss for the Sharks while Brian Rafalski could miss his fourth straight for the Red Wings. Boyle's absence was a big reason for the close game against the Avalanche, as the power play was almost non-existent for San Jose.