The San Jose Sharks snapped a three-game losing streak by winning on the road and dominating one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, beating the Washington Capitals 3-0 on Tuesday.
It was a statement win for the Sharks who have struggled out of the gate this season. By beating Washington, the Sharks showed the rest of the league that, A: they are still among the NHL's best, and B: they can still win on the road.
The Sharks were the NHL's best road team last season with a 28-10-3 record. That hasn't been the case this season. They are under .500 through their first seven road games (3-4-0), including the victory over the Capitals.
San Jose improved to 7-6-0 with the win, but remain five points behind the Edmonton Oilers in the Pacific Division.
Tonight the Sharks visit Sunrise to face the Florida Panthers. Thus far both teams have fallen short of higher than usual expectations. We know what the Sharks did and Florida set a franchise record with 47 victories.
What to watch for...
- The Panthers are starting to get healthy. Jussi Jokinen has missed the past nine games with a knee injury will play tonight against the Sharks. Jokinen has two assists in four games played.
- Defenseman Brent Burns' five goals leads all Sharks. That speaks to the offensive struggles of the group as a whole.
- Despite a 6-6 record, Martin Jones is not the problem. His .909 save percentage and 2.33 GAA are only slightly worse than last seasons .918 SV% and 2.27 GAA.
- Joe Pavelski is still very good. I would follow this man into battle any time, any place. He leads the Sharks in points (13) and assists (9).
- ICYMI, Kevin Labanc played 13:23 in his NHL debut with one shot on goal.
- The Sharks defense has a total of 24 points (7g 14a) and Burns has half of those (5g 7a).
- The Panthers are led offensively by Jonathan Marchessault. He has seven goals and six assists in 13 games this season. His seven goals are tied for sixth in NHL scoring.
- If the Sharks win tonight, they will have one more win than they did through 14 games in 2015-16. They were just 7-7. Remember, the Sharks did turn things around until a six-game win streak in mid-November.
Thanks for reading, Steve