FRISCO – Like contestants on a game show, the Dallas Stars are finding that the questions get harder as the season goes on.
And no question will be harder than tonight's matchup against the Sharks at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.
The Sharks are the hottest team in hockey (on an 8-0-1 run) with the best home record (6-0-1). Dating to last season, San Jose is 38-5-5 at home.
What's more, the Sharks lead the NHL with the best record (13-4-2), best goal differential (plus-1.06 per game) and best face-off winning percentage (56.9 percent). They rank second in goals-against average (2.22), second in save percentage (.923), second in power-play success (25.0 percent) and fourth in scoring (3.32 goals per game).
"We have a huge challenge with San Jose, and I'm really happy with that challenge being there, because we've had a big game to focus in on, and our guys have been very good at doing that," coach Marc Crawford said. "We know we have to be on it."
The entire road trip is a great test for the Stars. They play Saturday in Phoenix against former coach Dave Tippett. The Stars will stay there for a couple of days and finish the trip Wednesday at Detroit.
"It's a tough trip and one that should teach us a lot about ourselves," center Mike Modano said. "We always love playing at [HP Pavilion in San Jose]. It's a great building with a lot of energy. And it's always tough to play at Detroit. It will give us a real grade of where we are right now."
While the Stars (7-4-6) have good memories in San Jose, including a 14-6-2 record (playoffs included) from 2002 to 2008, Dallas lost two of three there last season. And in a 5-2 loss on March 21, Brad Richards broke his hand and was lost for the season.
The Stars went 1-5-0 against the Sharks last season and were outscored, 18-10.
"They're a really good team, and they keep getting better," Modano said. "They added [Dany] Heatley this year, and that seems to be working out very well."
After getting upset in the first round of the playoffs last season, the Sharks acquired Heatley in a trade with Ottawa for Milan Michalek, Jonathan Cheechoo and a second-round draft pick.
Heatley has 11 goals and nine assists in 18 games. Meanwhile, Patrick Marleau is tied for second in NHL scoring with 23 points, and Joe Thornton is tied for fourth with 22.
"We've had some days off, we've been working hard, and we really want to get back to playing," defenseman Nicklas Grossman said. "We'll have to have our A game and put a full 60 minutes in. We know it's going to be tough, but that's how it should be."
Stars rank eighth in value: The Stars rank eighth in the NHL with a value of $246 million according to Forbes. That represents a drop of 10 percent in value since last year's rankings, the largest drop among the top 10 franchises.
Briefly: LW Fabian Brunnstrom hurt his shoulder in practice Tuesday and will be out tonight. He is on the trip and listed as day-to-day. ... LW James Neal (groin) and RW Krys Barch (back), who missed the last two games, are expected to return to the lineup. ... Marty Turco is expected to get the start in goal. Turco is 21-12-5 in his career against the Sharks with a 2.28 GAA.
| ROAD TEST | ||
| The Stars head out today on a bumpy seven-day road trip in which they play in three tough buildings and also have four days off. The opponents with home and overall records: | ||
| Team | Home | Overall |
| San Jose | 6-0-1 | 12-4-2 |
| Phoenix | 5-3-0 | 10-7-0 |
| Detroit | 5-1-1 | 7-5-3 |
