SAN JOSE - The Sharks are looking to get back in the win column and clinch a playoff berth Monday night. But, they'll have to defeat a potential playoff opponent to do it -- the Vegas Golden Knights.
Monday marks the last of a three-game homestand for San Jose. The Sharks dropped their last two contests against the Florida Panthers and Nashville Predators, respectively.
To get the win over Vegas, they will have to be on their A-game right from the drop of the puck, Tomas Hertl told the media.
"We have to be ready because they, a lot of times, jump on us," the Czech center said. "We have to start right away, from the first minute."
Vegas is, in fact, coming into Monday's game red-hot. The Golden Knights beat the Edmonton Oilers 6-3 Sunday, and have won eight of their last 10 contests.
Monday also marks the first time the Sharks will face the Golden Knights since Vegas acquired Mark Stone from the Ottawa Senators at the trade deadline. Stone has tallied seven points (three goals, four assists) in nine games since joining Vegas.
It'll be third Sharks-Golden Knights matchup of the season, with each team winning one of the first two. In six total regular season meetings between the franchises, San Jose holds a 2-3-1 record.
San Jose Sharks
Sharks projected lines and pairs
Timo Meier – Logan Couture – Joe Pavelski
Joonas Donskoi – Tomas Hertl – Kevin Labanc
Marcus Sorensen – Joe Thornton – Gustav Nyquist
Micheal Haley – Barclay Goodrow – Melker Karlsson
Joakim Ryan – Brent Burns
Marc-Edouard Vlasic – Tim Heed
Brenden Dillon – Justin Braun
Martin Jones – projected starter
Aaron Dell
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Golden Knights projected lines and pairs
Jonathan Marchessault – William Karlsson – Reilly Smith
Max Pacioretty – Paul Stastny – Mark Stone
Tomas Nosek – Cody Eakin – Alex Tuch
Ryan Carpenter – Pierre-Edouard Bellemare – Ryan Reaves
Nate Schmidt – Deryk Engelland
Brayden McNabb – Shea Theodore
Jon Merrill – Colin Miller
Malcom Subban – projected starter
Maxime Lagace