The San Jose Sharks are losers in their last three outings, but limited damage somewhat in their most recent outing by getting a point out of a shootout loss to the Edmonton Oilers, and as such, maintain their lead in the Pacific Division with four games on the Los Angeles Kings and a matching point total at 58. Still, three-straight losses is a bad place to be in, especially facing their second game in as many days before having a week off with the All-Star Game coming up.
San Jose would certainly like to get back in the win column before taking a week off, but the Calgary Flames currently present a tough test, having won two-straight. It's worth noting that their last loss was at the HP Pavilion against the very same Sharks, so San Jose could be confident in this one, but they really have struggled on the road at times this season.
It will also hurt the Sharks that defenseman Brent Burns won't be in the lineup, according to CSN Bay Area. Burns took a knee-to-knee hit from Oiler veteran Ales Hemsky in the third period of their game on Tuesday, and folks immediately thought the injury was very serious. As it stands now, he's essentially day-to-day, with the All-Star break coming at a great time for such a thing.
Justin Braun and Jim Vandermeer could replace Burns in the lineup, but that's still up in the air. Either way, this is the second of four meetings between the two teams, hwo have been strong offensively of late, at least in the shot column. This will likely come down to goalie play, something that may not favor San Jose with the absence of Burns. The game is set for 6:00 p.m. pacific on Tuesday and can be seen, as always, on CSN California.