Rangers at Sharks preview

RANGERS (24-20-5) AT SHARKS (26-14-7)
10:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCA, MSG 2, NHL.TV

Thornton, who injured his right knee against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, is expected to miss at least two weeks.
Pavelski will move from right wing, and Mikkel Boedker will move from the third to the first line at right wing. Forward Joonas Donskoi will return to the lineup after missing two games with the flu.
Backup goaltender Ondrej Pavelec will start for the Rangers, who have lost three straight, and have been outscored 13-6 to begin a four-game road trip. Pavelec will make his first start since Jan. 13 (7-2 loss to the New York Islanders). He replaced Henrik Lundqvist, who was pulled after allowing three goals on seven shots, in the first period of a 6-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.

Players to watch

Rangers forward Rick Nash has scored two goals in three of his past five games.
Sharks backup goaltender Aaron Dell has gone 4-0-1 with 12 goals allowed in his past five starts.

They said it

"You don't just fill in for somebody like that, but you can get it done as a line and you can work and compete. It doesn't change what we're trying to do, but you definitely lose just such a high-end caliber player." -- Sharks forward Joe Pavelski on playing without Joe Thornton
"Every point is huge. We need a win. That's all that matters right now. We lost three in a row." -- Rangers goaltender Ondrej Pavelec

Rangers projected lineup

Rick Nash -- Mika Zibanejad -- Pavel Buchnevich
Mats Zuccarello -- J.T. Miller -- Jimmy Vesey
Michael Grabner -- Peter Holland -- Jesper Fast
Paul Carey -- David Desharnais -- Vinni Lettieri
Nick Holden -- Ryan McDonagh
Brady Skjei -- Marc Staal
Brendan Smith -- Tony DeAngelo
Ondrej Pavelec
Henrik Lundqvist
Scratched: Steven Kampfer
Injured: Kevin Hayes (leg contusion), Chris Kreider (rib surgery), Kevin Shattenkirk (knee surgery)

Sharks projected lineup

Timo Meier -- Joe Pavelski -- Mikkel Boedker
Tomas Hertl -- Logan Couture -- Kevin Labanc
Joonas Donskoi -- Chris Tierney -- Melker Karlsson
Joel Ward -- Barclay Goodrow -- Marcus Sorensen
Joakim Ryan -- Brent Burns
Marc-Edouard Vlasic -- Justin Braun
Brenden Dillon -- Dylan DeMelo
Aaron Dell
Troy Grosenick
Scratched:Tim Heed, Jannik Hansen
Injured:Joe Thornton (knee), Martin Jones (lower body)

Status report

Hayes skated and will be a game-time decision. ... The Rangers claimed forward Cody McLeod off waivers from the Nashville Predators on Thursday and sent forward Daniel Catenacci to Hartford of the American Hockey League. ... Jones practiced again but will miss his fourth straight game. He's expected to return after the all-star break.

Stat pack

Burns has six assists during a five-game point streak. ... Desharnais is expected to play his 500th career NHL game.