Tonight at 10:30 p.m. ET, the Toronto Maple Leafs (35-23-8, 78 points) and San Jose Sharks (41-17-7, 89 points) skate against each other for the second and final time this season live from the SAP Center in San Jose. The game can be live streamed here. Toronto fans can hear all of the action on TSN 1050 while San Jose fans can do the same on KFOX 102.1
Toronto has won three straight games and enters its second of three contests through California after a win over the Anaheim Ducks on Monday while San Jose has won back-to-back games and is 24-4-4 at home this season. The first time these two teams met, the Sharks topped the Maple Leafs 4-2 on Dec. 3 in Toronto.
The Sharks will look to increase their power play performance as the postseason creeps up since the team has converted just two times in its last 48 attempts.
"We need it to be better than what it is, because in the playoffs, we'll need it," defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic told CSNBayArea.com. "We can always rely on our penalty kill and our 5-on-5, but the power play creates momentum. If the other team wants to take liberties or take a penalty, we've got to make them pay. Playoffs, it's huge. You make them pay and you might win the series."
The Maple Leafs have been fantastic at blocking shots in recent games.
"That was our main focus coming here," said goaltender Jonathan Bernier, according to NHL.com. "We know it's a tough building. Well, tomorrow and L.A. as well. They're all tough buildings. But we proved to ourselves that we can compete against any team in this league."
Bernier will likely start tonight and is 25-16-7 with a 2.59 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage. He'll likely be opposed by Antti Niemi, who is 31-13-6 with a 2.37 GAA and a .912 save percentage for the Sharks.
San Jose has been led by Joe Pavelski, who has 62 points off of 32 goals and 30 assists while Joe Thornton has nine tallies and 52 helpers for 61 points and Patrick Marleau has found the twine 26 times while adding 31 assists for 57 points.
Phil Kessel has 12 points in his last eight games and leads Toronto with 73 points off of 34 goals and 39 assists while James van Riemsdyk has 26 markers and 27 helpers for 53 points and Nazem Kadri has lit the lamp 17 times while adding 27 assists for 44 points.
The Maple Leafs and Sharks faceoff for the last time this season when the puck drops at the SAP Center tonight in San Jose.
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