Preview: Sharks at Kings

SHARKS (13-9-1) at KINGS (12-9-1)
10:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NHL.TV

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Sharks team scope

San Jose Sharks goaltender Martin Jones, who made 18 saves in a 2-1 overtime victory against the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday, will start against the Los Angeles Kings, his former team. Jones had a light workload against Arizona, but coach Peter DeBoer said that didn't influence his decision to start him. "I think regardless, he was playing tonight," DeBoer said Wednesday. "It's a big game. It's a four-point game and we're going with our best lineup." Jones is 4-1-1 with a 2.31 goals-against average and .918 save percentage in six regular-season games against the Kings. The Sharks completed a 4-1-0 homestand Tuesday and moved into first place in the Pacific Division with 27 points, one more than the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks and two more than the Kings. San Jose went 3-2-1 on the road before playing five straight at home. "I thought the ship was in the right direction even prior to the homestand," DeBoer said Tuesday. "I liked our last two games prior to the homestand, in St. Louis, and in Phoenix we played very well. I like how we're playing."

Kings team scope

The Kings will try to extend their season-long, five-game winning streak, but haven't played since defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1 in overtime on Saturday. "I think the young guys, the focus affects their detail, for sure, lack of detail, and I think the older guys have trouble getting going," Kings coach Darryl Sutter told LA Kings Insider on Tuesday. "We've been through that lots with older players. Give them a day, and sometimes they have trouble getting going again. Everybody's different. The top guys don't have as much of a problem with it. That's why they're top guys -- well prepared, good focus, attention to detail. Other guys drop off." The Kings are 9-2-0 at home this season and have a six-game winning streak at Staples Center. Goaltender Peter Budaj will appear in his 21st consecutive game and make his 19th start of the season. He's 5-0-0 in his past five starts, allowing nine goals on 126 shots during that span.

Sharks projected lineup

Patrick Marleau -- Joe Thornton -- Joe Pavelski
Joonas Donskoi -- Logan Couture -- Joel Ward
Mikkel Boedker -- Chris Tierney -- Kevin Labanc
Melker Karlsson -- Ryan Carpenter -- Micheal Haley
Paul Martin -- Brent Burns
Marc-Edouard Vlasic -- Justin Braun
Brenden Dillon -- David Schlemko
Martin Jones
Aaron Dell
Scratched:Dylan DeMelo, Matt Nieto
Injured:Tomas Hertl (lower body), Tommy Wingels (lower body)

Kings projected lineup

Dwight King -- Anze Kopitar -- Trevor Lewis
Tanner Pearson -- Jeff Carter -- Tyler Toffoli
Dustin Brown -- Nic Dowd -- Devin Setoguchi
Marian Gaborik -- Nicholas Shore -- Jordan Nolan
Derek Forbort -- Drew Doughty
Jake Muzzin -- Alec Martinez
Kevin Gravel -- Matt Greene
Peter Budaj
Jeff Zatkoff
Scratched:Kyle Clifford, Teddy Purcell, Tom Gilbert
Injured:Jonathan Quick (groin), Andy Andreoff (thumb), Brayden McNabb (collar bone)

Status update

The Sharks will use the same lineup that played against Arizona, meaning Nieto will be a healthy scratch for the second straight game, and Karlsson will play his second straight game after missing seven straight with an injured left ankle. ... Labanc was promoted from the third to the second line during the Arizona game, trading places with Donskoi, and the Sharks could use that same line. ... Wingels will miss his third straight game. ... Greene is expected to return to the lineup in place of Gilbert after being a healthy scratch against the Blackhawks.

Who's hot

Carter has five goals, including four game-winners, and three assists in his past five games. He leads the NHL with six game-winning goals. ... Martinez has a five-game point streak with three goals and two assists. ... Doughty has a four-game point streak (one goal, four assists). ... Pavelski has a seven-game point streak (two goals, five assists). ... Burns has three goals and four assists in his past five games, including the game-winner Tuesday against Arizona.