Red Wings at Sharks preview

RED WINGS (27-38-10) at SHARKS (43-23-9)
10:30 p.m. ET; SNE, SNO, SNP, NBCSCA, FS-D, NHL.TV

The Sharks are in second place, six points behind the Calgary Flames and five points ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights.
San Jose has gone 0-4-1 in its past five games and has been outscored 23-12 after a six-game winning streak. The Sharks haven't lost six straight since March 16-25, 2017 (0-6-0).
The Red Wings are 3-1-0 in their past four games after going 1-9-3 in their previous 13.

Players to watch

Red Wings forward Andreas Athanasiou has six points (four goals, two assists) in his past four games.
Sharks forward Gustav Nyquist will face the Red Wings for the first time since he was traded to San Jose on Feb. 24.

They said it

"When he's at his best he's strong in his own end, he's physical, he plays against big men, defends well, moves his feet and can pass the puck." -- Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill on defenseman Jonathan Ericsson returning to the lineup after missing four games with a lower-body injury
"It will be a little different, seeing that jersey out there and not passing the puck to those guys. I'll try not to do that." -- Sharks forward Gustav Nyquist on facing the Red Wings for the first time since he was traded Feb. 24.

Red Wings projected lineup

Darren Helm -- Dylan Larkin -- Anthony Mantha
Tyler Bertuzzi -- Andreas Athanasiou -- Luke Glendening
Christoffer Ehn
-- Frans Nielsen --
Taro Hirose
Matt Puempel
--
Ryan Kuffner
Danny DeKeyser -- Filip Hronek
Niklas Kronwall -- Madison Bowey
Jonathan Ericsson
-- Luke Witkowski
Dylan McIlrath
Jonathan Bernier
Jimmy Howard
Scratched:None
Injured:Thomas Vanek (mid-body), Michael Rasmussen (upper body), Trevor Daley (back), Justin Abdelkader (leg), Mike Green (virus), Jacob de la Rose (accelerated heartbeat)

Sharks projected lineup

Timo Meier -- Logan Couture -- Gustav Nyquist
Evander Kane -- Tomas Hertl -- Joonas Donskoi
Marcus Sorensen -- Joe Thornton -- Kevin Labanc
Lukas Radil -- Barclay Goodrow -- Melker Karlsson
Joakim Ryan -- Brent Burns
Marc-Edouard Vlasic -- Tim Heed
Brenden Dillon -- Justin Braun
Martin Jones
Aaron Dell
Scratched: Michael Haley
Injured: Erik Karlsson (groin), Joe Pavelski (lower body), Radim Simek (right knee)

Status report

Vanek left the morning skate early and will not play. … Rasmussen will miss his second straight game. … The Red Wings will dress 11 forwards and seven defenseman including Ericsson and McIlrath, who will make his Detroit debut. … Red Wings defenseman Brian Lashoff is expected to be sent to Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League. … Pavelski will miss his fourth straight game and Erik Karlsson his 12th straight.

Stat pack

Hirose has a three-game assist streak. … Thornton is four assists from tying Steve Yzerman (1,063) for eighth place on the NHL's all-time list. … Burns has a four-game assist streak.