Forward Joe Thornton, right, leads the Sharks with 78 points, and defenseman Brent Burns, right, is only four points behind. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

7 p.m. vs. San Jose • FSN, 100.3-FM

Preview: The Wild, which has lost three consecutive games — most recently 5-1 in Winnipeg on Sunday — will try to clinch the final Western Conference playoff berth with a victory over the Sharks. San Jose has clinched a playoff spot. The Sharks, who have gone 5-5-0 in their past 10 games, entered Monday third in the Pacific Division with 94 points, three behind second-place Los Angeles and four back of first-place Anaheim. The Wild has split the season series with San Jose so far, beating the Sharks 2-0 in San Jose on Dec. 12 and losing there 4-3 om Jan. 23.

Players to watch: Wild C/W Mikael Granlund, who scored Minnesota's lone goal Sunday in Winnipeg, has goals in back-to-back games and has 10 points (5-5—10) in his past 12 games. C Mikko Koivu has 10 points in the past 10 games. W Zach Parise has a three-game point streak and 11 points in his past seven games. His next goal will be the 300th of his career. G Devan Dubnyk leads the NHL in wins since Feb. 28 (11-4-1). Sharks D Brent Burns is first in goals (27) and second in points (74) among NHL defensemen. C Joe Thornton leads the Sharks with 78 points. He has points in four consecutive games (1-5—6). C Tomas Hertl had two goals in San Jose's 3-2 shootout victory in Nashville on Saturday.

Numbers: Thursday's loss to Ottawa ended a four-game home winning streak for Minnesota. Still, the Wild's 21 home victories are second fewest among the top eight Western Conference teams, ahead of only San Jose's 17. But the Sharks have gone 27-10-3 on the road this season, the most road victories in the NHL through Sunday. San Jose has won six of its past seven on the road. The Wild is 7-0-1 in its past eight home games vs. San Jose.

Injuries: D Jared Spurgeon, who practiced Monday, is questionable because of a lower-body injury. LW Thomas Vanek (upper body) is out. Sharks D Matt Tennyson (upper body), LW Matt Nieto (broken knuckle) and D Marc-Edouard Vlasic (lower body) are out.

KENT YOUNGBLOOD