The Dallas Stars and the San Jose Sharks will wrap up their season series on Tuesday night as both teams sit on the bubble to possibly make it into the playoffs. The Stars are currently in 10th place in the Western Conference and in control of their own destiny. If Dallas does not win Tuesday night, their playoff chances are over. Dallas is 3-0 against the Sharks this season, which bodes well for their chances.
The Sharks are on the verge of reaching their ninth consecutive postseason appearance. A win or loss against Dallas does almost nothing to their chances, which is good considering they have struggled all season against the team. The Sharks are working attempting to avoid a season sweep. The Sharks are 11-3-1 over the past 15 games and have a chance at securing home-ice advantage. The team has only lost two regulation games on home ice this season, so gaining that advantage in the playoffs would be huge. They are currently in fifth in the Western Conference, two points behind the Los Angeles Kings. A win on Tuesday would be huge for the teams overall playoff run.
Dallas needs a win. A loss puts them out of the postseason all together. A win gives them a fight chance. The Stars currently sit two points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild for one of the two final playoff spots. The team will finish with two road games, but what matters is the game against the Sharks. San Jose goalie Antti Niemi has a 2.69 goals-against average when facing Dallas this season. Players like Joe Pavelski who knocked in his 15th goal of the season on Sunday will look to take advantage of that. Dallas will likely start Kari Lehtonen in the net. He is 1-1-1 since returning to the lineup from a groin injury. In his one start against the Sharks, he helped the team win in a shootout.
Watch the Dallas Stars vs. the San Jose Sharks live stream, click here.
