Game Preview: Red Wings At Sharks
(AP) -- The San Jose Sharks enjoyed the league's best home-ice advantage over the previous 10 seasons, but that edge has been virtually non-existent more recently.
They'll look to avoid their longest home skid in two decades Thursday night when they face the Detroit Red Wings.
San Jose posted a league-best .712 home winning percentage from 2003-04-2013-14, coinciding with its 10 straight postseason appearances, which trails only Detroit among active NHL streaks.
That streak could be in jeopardy, however, if the Sharks (30-23-8) can't right themselves at home. Two points back of Calgary for the Western Conference's
"You want to push toward that second season, and right now we're not there," said Joe Pavelski, who leads the team with 55 points. "So there's nothing given to us and we got to go earn it."
The Sharks will try to take advantage of a slate that sees them play seven of their next eight at home, though they likely need improved special teams play. They've given up six power-play goals on 19 chances over their last eight games and are scoreless on the power play in three straight, one shy of a season-worst four-game drought from Nov. 11-16.
Detroit (33-15-11) is in much better position with a 10-point edge over Boston for third place in the Atlantic Division, though it lost 1-0 at red-hot Los Angeles on Tuesday. The Red Wings were limited to 20 shots and the league's best power play (25.2 percent) squandered all five chances.
They allowed the goal at the 2:24 mark of the first period. Detroit is minus-1 in the first period compared to plus-23 over the second and third.
"I just thought it was a good hockey game. It was tight," coach Mike Babcock told the team's official website. "We talk lots about trying to start quick. When you play back to back sometimes it takes you a little bit ... They're a good team and we're a good team and there wasn't much room out there."
San Jose is minus-9 in the first and plus-10 over the other two periods.
Henrik Zetterberg's status is unclear after he missed the last two games with a head injury suffered Saturday against Dallas.
"I feel like it hasn't changed since Saturday. Hopefully, I will feel better soon. I thought it would be better but unfortunately, no," Zetterberg, whose 49 points are tied with Pavel Datsyuk for the team lead, told the team's official website. "I have some symptoms that I don't have when I am 100 percent, so until those symptoms go away, we've just got to take it easy."
Pavelski scored twice in the Sharks' 4-1 home victory Jan. 19, 2014, their fourth consecutive win against the Red Wings. Pavelski has five goals in his last five home meetings.
Antti Niemi is 10-1-1 with a 1.55 goals-against average in his past 12 starts against Detroit.
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