San Jose Sharks (22-20-3, fifth in the Pacific) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (29-10-6, second in the Atlantic)
Tampa, Florida; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Steven Stamkos and Tampa Bay take on San Jose. Stamkos currently ranks ninth in the NHL with 51 points, scoring 20 goals and totaling 31 assists.
The Lightning have gone 15-4-4 in home games. Tampa Bay is fourth in the Eastern Conference averaging 3.4 goals per game, led by Stamkos with 20.
The Sharks are 11-11-1 on the road. San Jose ranks 19th in the Western Conference with 30.0 shots per game and is averaging 2.7 goals.
Tampa Bay took down San Jose 7-1 in the last meeting between these teams on Jan. 22. Ross Colton scored two goals for the Lightning in the win.
TOP PERFORMERS: Victor Hedman leads the Lightning with 36 assists and has 45 points this season. Nikita Kucherov has four goals and nine assists over the last 10 games for Tampa Bay.
Timo Meier leads the Sharks with 47 points, scoring 21 goals and registering 26 assists. Tomas Hertl has five goals and five assists over the last 10 games for San Jose.
LAST 10 GAMES: Lightning: 7-2-1, averaging 3.8 goals, 6.5 assists, 3.8 penalties and 9.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.2 goals per game with a .921 save percentage.
Sharks: 4-4-2, averaging 2.5 goals, 3.9 assists, 2.9 penalties and 7.3 penalty minutes while allowing 2.8 goals per game with a .909 save percentage.
INJURIES: Lightning: Nikita Kucherov: out (health and safety protocols), Erik Cernak: out (lower-body), Zach Bogosian: out (lower body).
Sharks: Mario Ferraro: day to day (mouth).
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