Sharks at Devils
It's only two games into the season, but the league's best goal differential entering the weekend belonged to the New Jersey Devils. That's right, the Devils, who will continue their season-opening homestand against the San Jose Sharks on Sunday afternoon while trying to build on a 6-0 rout of defending Stanley Cup champion Washington.
New Jersey opened the campaign as the home team in a 5-2 victory over Edmonton in Sweden before putting on a show in its actual home opener by mauling the Capitals, who had scored 18 goals in their first three games. "We want to play offensively, but for us to continue to get better as a team and become a team that could be difficult to play against night in and night out, there were things we wanted to do better defensively," Devils coach John Hynes told reporters. "The team has shown defensive structure." San Jose has alternated wins and losses as it enters the finale of a five-game road trip, getting shut out by the New York Islanders, scoring eight goals to crush Philadelphia and squandering a late lead in an overtime loss to the New York Rangers. The Sharks have dominated the Devils over the last two seasons, winning all four meetings by a combined score of 17-3 while posting a pair of shutouts.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, Sportsnet, NBCS California (San Jose), MSG Plus (New Jersey)
ABOUT THE SHARKS (2-2-1): Defenseman Erik Karlsson has yet to provide the impact expected when he was acquired from Ottawa, as he has been on the ice for five of the 10 even-strength goals allowed by San Jose and owns a minus-4 rating. "It's just getting used to teammates,” coach Pete DeBoer told reporters. “And some system stuff. Every coach stresses different things. I’m sure we stress some different things than he’s been used to. You try to fit in. You try to do those things. He’s got a lot on his plate, but we’re only five games in.” Karlsson missed Saturday's practice due to illness.
ABOUT THE DEVILS (2-0-0): Kyle Palmieri ignited the rout of the Capitals by scoring twice in the opening period, becoming the first player in franchise history with two goals in each of the first two games of the season. "When Kyle is playing well, he's moving his feet, he's tenacious, hard on the puck, and he has a shoot-first mentality," Hynes said. "When he's not playing his best, sometimes those elements aren't in his game, but it's nice to see him getting rewarded." Keith Kinkaid has turned aside 38 of the 40 shots he's faced in winning both his starts.
OVERTIME
1. Sharks LW Evander Kane, who leads the team with four goals, has scored 11 times in 28 career games against the Devils.
2. Kinkaid is 1-2-0 with a 2.58 goals-against average versus San Jose.
3. The Sharks have converted only two of their 18 chances on the power play.