San Jose Sharks plays host to New York Rangers in the two sides' lone meeting of the season - NHL Previews
The final game on Saturday will be played at the HP Pavilion Center as San Jose Sharks plays host to New York Rangers.
This is the lone meeting between the two teams during the course of the season. The last time that these two met, Sharks not only dominated the game but thrashed Rangers by 7-3 in the end.
Rangers need to step up their pace as they lost their last game against Anaheim Ducks being on the road-trip.
They are currently in the eight spot in the Eastern Conference but if they don’t step up their game then things are not looking too good for them.
They have 13 games left to play before the regular season ends and now they need to win each and every game to ensure that they remain in the playoff running.
Rangers is one of the teams which have the fewest game remaining in the Eastern Conference. However, unlike some of the other teams who have four games in five nights, Rangers have an easy schedule which would see them playing five games during the coming
two weeks.
However, the long rest might help them on one side but also go against them.
After a disappointing 5-2 loss to Ducks, Rangers need ice time to get confidence and to score points if they want to stay in the playoff cut.
"That's not us," Rangers' forward, Brian Boyle, said after practice on Thursday. "We are not a team that fails to come to work. But last night was not our best effort. And we have to make sure that mentally we do all the right things to prepare."
Rangers have played 69 games during the course of the season out of which they have won 35 games in regulation time and four games in overtime to score 74 points.
Sharks have played 68 games during the season so far out which they have won 39 games in regulation time and seven games in overtime to score a total of 85 points.
Sharks were involved in one of the most entertaining games of the season as they squared off against the league leaders, Vancouver Canucks.
The game was expected to be a close battle and it certainly turned out to be the case.
Both teams scored goals every now and then with the scores level on 4-4 at the end of regulation time.
However, Canucks managed to win the game after a shootout.
Though Sharks lost the game, they came up with a hard fought performance that gave them a very valuable point.
"We're on our end still, fighting for our playoff lives, so we have to get as many points as we can," Sharks' captain, Joe Thornton, said. "The atmosphere was great, it was an exciting game to be a part of. We just kept coming back. It's a good sign."
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