PROGRAMMING NOTE
Sharks-Rangers coverage starts today at 3:30 p.m. with Sharks Pregame Live on CSN California
WHERE THEY STAND
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Sharks: 2-0-0, 4 points
Rangers: 1-1-0, 2 points
NEWS AND NOTES
*The Sharks have been shut out in each of their last two visits to Madison Square Garden, 4-0 on Oct. 19, 2014, and 4-0 exactly one year later on Oct. 19, 2015. New York has won five of its last seven overall against the Sharks in the Big Apple, allowing just 12 goals total over that span.
Backup Antti Raanta will start in net for New York. He made 22 saves in his Rangers debut in the most recent game between these two teams here last season. Martin Jones goes for San Jose, but coach Pete DeBoer said that backup Aaron Dell would “probably” make his NHL debut on Tuesday night against the Islanders.
San Jose Sharks
*DeBoer has indicated after each of the first two games that the Sharks are getting plenty of scoring chances, but aren't capitalzing on enough of them. The Sharks took a 2-0 first period lead on Columbus and failed to increase it in the second period, and it nearly cost them in a 3-2 win.
“Offensively, I think we’ve created enough chances through the first two games to get three or four a night. Those will eventually go in,” DeBoer said. “You’re not going to keep some of the guys off the scoresheet that have been off so far for us.”
Couture said: “We had a bunch of two-on-ones and three-on-twos last game we didn’t finish. Just got to bear down. The puck gets to you, try to find the back of the net.”
*The Rangers enter the night with some injury issues, including key defensemen Kevin Klein and Dan Girardi.
The Sharks’ lineup remains unchanged from their first two games. Brent Burns is sporting a significant shiner around his left eye after he was high-sticked by Oliver Bjorkstrand in the first period of Saturday’s game in Columbus, but is apparently good to go.
KEEP AN EYE ON
Sharks: Mikkel Boedker. The newcomer scored his first goal with the Sharks on Saturday in Columbus, opening the scoring in the first period. Boedker’s line with Logan Couture and Joonas Donskoi has been San Jose’s best so far, and Boedker seems to be adjusting nicely to life with his new club in a key role.
Rangers: Jimmy Vesey. The 23-year-old left wing chose to sign with the Rangers in August after he had a number of suitors as a free agent out of Harvard. The Hobey Baker Award winner in 2015-16 as the top player in college hockey, he has yet to find the scoresheet in two games.
PROBABLE LINES
Sharks
Tomas Hertl – Joe Thornton – Joe Pavelski
Mikkel Boedker – Logan Couture – Joonas Donskoi
Patrick Marleau – Chris Tierney – Joel Ward
Matt Nieto – Tommy Wingels – Melker Karlsson
Marc-Edouard Vlasic – Justin Braun
Paul Martin – Brent Burns
Brenden Dillon – David Schlemko
Martin Jones (confirmed starter)
Aaron Dell
Rangers
Jimmy Vesey – Derek Stepan – Mats Zuccarello
Chris Krieder – Mika Zibanejad – Rick Nash
J.T. Miller – Kevin Hayes – Jesper Fast
Brandon Pirri – Josh Jooris – Michael Grabner
Ryan McDonagh – Nick Holden
Marc Staal – Adam Clendening
Brady Skjei – Dylan McIlrath
Antti Raanta (confirmed starter)
Henrik Lundqvist
INJURIES
Sharks: None.
Rangers: Kevin Klein (back), Dan Girardi (groin), Oscar Lindberg (hip surgery) and Pavel Buchnevich (back spasms) are out.
QUOTEABLE
“I feel great. I feel young. I feel like 200 games, just smarter.” – Brent Burns, who is set to play in his 800th career NHL game on Monday night