San Jose (16-3-1) will put their undefeated (in regulation) home record on the line against a Washington Capitals team (11-5-3) that has split the first two games of its four-game road trip.
- San Jose has outscored opponents 42-22 at home thus far. Their only loss came in overtime against Nashville on November 11th. Last year San Jose won 23 games at home and their first loss in regulation came in their first home game of the season.
- The Sharks are 6-0-1 when leading after the 1st period and are tied for third in the league with 22 goals in first periods this year.
- San Jose has six players with six or more goals and is led by captain Patrick Marleau (9-13-22) and by the eighth pick in the 2005 draft, Devin Setoguchi (11-11-22).
- The Sharks lead the NHL in shots, averaging almost 40 per game. They are also second in the league in shots allowed (26 shots allowed per game).
- Brian Boucher (6-1-1/1.87/.930) will make the start in place of Evgeni Nabokov who suffered a lower-body injury on November 7th. Boucher has not faced the Capitals since 2006, but has two shutouts in his past five games against Washington.
- Meanwhile, Washington has struggled on the road and in general against the Sharks.
- As rumors still swirl around Nylander to the Blackhawks, Washington will (most likley) be without Alex Semin and Mike Green.
- San Jose, along with Los Angeles and Minnesota, are the only teams that Alex Ovechkin has not scored against. Ovechkin has 4 shots and is +1 against the Sharks in two career games.
- If Brent Johnson (7-1-1/1.54/.928 against SJ) were to get the start, the goalie match up would be a re-match of the Capitals and Coyotes game on January 16, 2006.
- The Sharks unveil "BlackArmor" tonight. San Jose will play 14 games (12 home games and two away games) this season with their new third jersey.
San Jose Sharks Preview
STATS Preview
No comments:
Post a Comment