Preview: Coyotes at Sharks

GAME 36:
Coyotes (15-18-2) at Sharks (19-12-6)
Looking to build off a thrilling home victory over Colorado on Saturday night, Arizona will play its final game before the NHL-mandated three-day holiday break on Sunday night at San Jose.

WHERE: SAP Center at San Jose | WHEN: 6 p.m. (AZ time) | TV:FOX Sports Arizona Plus | RADIO:KTAR News 92.3 FM

ABOUT THE 'YOTES:
• Arizona is 2-0-2 in its past four games played at San Jose. All four games were decided by one goal.
• Darcy Kuemper will start in goal after watching Adin Hill play vs. Colorado on Saturday. Kuemper has posted a 0-5-1 record in his past six starts despite a steady 2.88 goals-against average in those games. He earned his last win on Nov. 15 vs. Nashville.
• Brad Richardson leads the Coyotes with 10 goals, including the two he scored in the third period vs. Colorado on Saturday in Arizona's 6-4 win. With 47 games left in the season, Richardson is just four goals shy of tying his career-high for goals (14) in one season, which he set in 2006-07 with the Avalanche.
• Arizona is 2-0-0 this season in the second game of back-to-back games. The Coyotes beat Washington, 4-1, on Nov. 11 and the New York Rangers, 4-3 in OT, on Dec. 14.
"It's been a little bit of an up-and-down (stretch) the last few weeks for us, so it'd be nice to go into the break with a couple of wins," Richardson said.
• The Coyotes have allowed just 98 goals this season. Only three teams - Boston (91), Nashville (94) and the New York Islanders (94) - have played stingier defense.
• Niklas Hjalmarsson has scored four of his 24 NHL goals vs. San Jose. That's 16.7 percent.

ABOUT THE SHARKS:
• San Jose is 7-3-1 in December and ranks second in the Pacific Division with 44 points ... Like the Coyotes, the Sharks played on Saturday and lost, 3-2, to Los Angeles in overtime on home ice ... San Jose has scored 121 goals, seventh most in the NHL ... Joe Pavelski leads the team with 23 goals. In 65 career games vs. the Coyotes, Pavelski has notched 30 goals -- including six game-winning tallies -- and 24 assists ... Brent Burns leads all NHL defensemen with 31 assists ... Erik Karlsson will not play as he serves the first game of a two-game suspension handed down by the NHL on Sunday for an illegal check he delivered to the head of LA's Austin Wagner on Saturday ... Aaron Dell, who stopped 17 of 20 shots in a 5-3 win over the Coyotes on Dec. 8, is expected to start in goal.