SAN JOSE -- The Colorado Avalanche are expected to start goaltender Calvin Pickard, who is battling the flu, when they face the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on Tuesday (10 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN1, SNE, SNO, SNW).

Pickard, defenseman Erik Johnson and third-line center Mikhail Grigorenko missed Colorado's morning skate at SAP Center because of an illness that has hit the team.

With Pickard missing the skate, coach Patrick Roy played goal during the morning skate.

"[Pickard] is going to be fine," Roy said. "He said he was already feeling better. Just needs some fluid in his body. He should be ready for tonight's game. ... I'm confident everybody's going to be ready to play."

SAN JOSE -- The surging San Jose Sharks have climbed from sixth place to second in the Pacific Division over the past 15 days and cut the first-place Los Angeles Kings' lead over them in the Pacific Division from 16 points to eight.

The Sharks have a chance to pull even closer at SAP Center on Sunday when they face the shorthanded Kings, who will be without suspended top-line forward Milan Lucic (10 p.m. ET; SN, FS-W, CSN-CA).

Lucic was suspended one game without pay Sunday by the NHL's Department of Player Safety for roughing Arizona Coyotes defenseman Kevin Connauton at 6:55 of the third period of a 3-2 loss on Saturday. This is the third suspension of Lucic's NHL career.

Tanner Pearson is expected to move from the fourth line to the top line, and forward Jordan Nolan will replace Lucic in the lineup.

SAN JOSE -- Goaltender Darcy Kuemper, coming off a 32-save shutout of the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday, will start for the Minnesota Wild on Saturday against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center (4 p.m. ET; FS-N, FS-WI, CSN-CA), coach Mike Yeo said.

Kuemper made 25 saves in a 2-0 shutout of the Sharks on Dec. 12 in San Jose, another factor that affected Yeo's decision.

Kuemper is 2-1-2 with a 2.40 goals-against average and .909 save percentage for his career against San Jose.

SAN JOSE -- Backup goaltender Alex Stalock will make his ninth start of the season when the San Jose Sharks try to extend their five-game winning streak Monday against the Ottawa Senators at SAP Center (10:30 p.m. ET; RDS, TSN5, CSN-CA).

Stalock is coming off a 21-save, 4-1 victory against the Winnipeg Jets on Jan. 12, arguably his best start of the season. Before that victory, he had back-to-back wins for the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League on a conditioning assignment.

"It's been a week since I've been in there," Stalock said after San Jose's morning skate at Sharks Ice. "Just keep it going. Two in the American League and one up here and just try and enjoy it."

SAN JOSE-- Dallas Stars goaltender Antti Niemi will have a homecoming when he starts against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on Saturday (10:30 p.m. ET; CSN-CA, FS-SW) for the first time since being traded after last season.

Niemi, who was traded to the Stars on June 27 and signed a three-year contract, made 26 saves in a 5-3 victory against San Jose on Oct. 31 at American Airlines Center. Now he'll try to beat them at SAP Center, where he had success the past five seasons.

"It's been a while, being on this side of the building," said Niemi, who played for the Chicago Blackhawks for parts of two seasons before signing with San Jose as a free agent in 2010. "Hard to find the locker room, first of all."

SAN JOSE -- Todd McLellan, dressed in street clothes, looked cool and calm following the Edmonton Oilers optional morning skate Thursday at SAP Center, hours away from facing the San Jose Sharks, his former team.

How will McLellan react when the puck drops Thursday (10:30 p.m. ET; SNW, CSN-CA) in his first game in San Jose since parting ways with the Sharks after last season?

"I've been asked that question a couple times, are you going to be nervous?" McLellan said. "I'm not nervous because I'm back in San Jose. It's a comfortable spot for me. I liked it here. I'm always nervous about playing the game, what the opposition can or can't do and how we'll respond. So that's not going to change at all. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't different when you walk in the building and turn right instead of left, but we're into January already.

"We've fully entrenched ourselves, we've married ourselves to this group of players and we're excited about where we're going to go. We know we have a ton of work ahead of us. Some of it's been put in place already."

SAN JOSE -- Veteran forward Drew Miller will return to the lineup after missing 14 games because of a broken jaw when the Detroit Red Wings face the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on Thursday (10:30 p.m. ET; FS-D, CSN-CA).

Forward Tomas Jurco, who missed the past two games because of an upper-body injury, also will return to the lineup for the Red Wings (20-13-7), who will have Petr Mrazek in goal for the fourth straight game.

Miller hasn't played since Dec. 3, when he was injured early in the first period against the Arizona Coyotes at Joe Louis Arena. He'll wear a protective cage on his helmet against San Jose (18-17-2).

"I've been skating so it's not like I've been off," Miller said after the Red Wings' morning skate at SAP Center. "I've been conditioning. So I feel ready to go from that point. Mentally you got to get out there and kind of give a few hits, take a few hits, make some plays and kind of feel your way back in. But make it quick."

SAN JOSE -- The San Jose Sharks will try to win back-to-back home games for the first time this season on Saturday when they face the Winnipeg Jets (10 p.m. ET; SN, CSN-CA), who have lost six straight and 12 of their past 13 on the road.

The Sharks are coming off a 4-2 victory against the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday before a sellout crowd at SAP Center. Despite the win, San Jose still has a League-worst home record of 5-10-0,

"We can't just win one and go back to losing at home," forward Tommy Wingels said after San Jose's morning skate at Sharks Ice. "It's about building streaks in this League so we've got to get back to winning four, five, six in a row at home. Tonight can put us on that path."

SAN JOSE -- The San Jose Sharks and Philadelphia Flyers will each have a key player return to the lineup when they meet at SAP Center on Wednesday (10:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CSN-PH).

Sharks center Logan Couture will be back in action after missing the past seven game following right thigh surgery to stop arterial bleeding.

Defenseman Mark Streit (pubic plate surgery) was activated from injured reserve and will return to the lineup after missing the past 19 games for the Flyers, who will have Michal Neuvirth in net.

Couture missed 23 games earlier in the season with a broken leg and has played only five of San Jose's 35 games. He injured his thigh on Dec. 9 against the Edmonton Oilers in his second game after returning from a broken leg. Couture will center the second line between Patrick Marleau and Joel Ward.

SAN JOSE -- Veteran forward Joel Ward will return to the lineup for the San Jose Sharks against the Colorado Avalanche at SAP Center on Monday (10:30 p.m. ET; SNE, SNO, SNW, ALT, CSN-CA) when they try to end a three-game home losing streak.

Ward (upper body) missed the past two games after being injured Dec. 18 against the Ottawa Senators. He went into the boards with his head and shoulder after a hit from behind by Ottawa's Mark Borowiecki. Ward, who ranks fourth on the Sharks in goals (10) and points (23), will skate on the second line with center Patrick Marleau and left wing Matt Nieto.

"I feel pretty good," Ward said after the morning skate at the Sharks' practice facility. "I'm looking forward to getting back out there for sure. The Christmas holiday there kind of helped."