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(Sports Network) - A pair of Pacific Division contenders will attempt to break out of recent funks when the Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks face one another this afternoon in a key showdown from the American Airlines Center.

The Sharks have been particularly cold as of late, as the club is currently mired in a season-high four-game losing streak and has tasted defeat in seven of its last nine outings.

Dallas, which comes in off back-to-back losses to also-rans Florida and Columbus, holds a three-point advantage over San Jose for second place in the competitive Pacific. Anaheim stands atop the division with 87 points, six more than the Stars.

The Sharks' latest setback was given to them by the frontrunning Ducks, who skated away with a 3-1 victory Friday in Anaheim. The Ducks prevailed despite being outshot 31-25 by San Jose, as goaltender Evgeni Nabokov compiled 30 saves in a sharp effort.

San Jose's lone goal came from defenseman Craig Rivet, who was playing in his first game since being traded from Montreal to the Sharks last weekend. Joe Thornton assisted on the tally and has now amassed seven points (1 goal, 6 assists) during a five-game scoring streak.

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