Devils at Sharks
After rebounding from a lopsided 5-1 loss with a triumphant victory by the same score, the San Jose Sharks vie for their fifth win in six outings on Saturday when they face the New Jersey Devils. Tommy Wingels recorded his first multi-goal game of his career against suddenly struggling Tampa Bay on Thursday to increase his season total to seven, which is one shy of his career mark prior to the campaign. "He's playing with so much confidence right now," captain Joe Thornton said of Wingels.
Confidence certainly isn't an issue for Jaromir Jagr, who continues to pad his impressive resume after tying Gordie Howe's NHL record of 121 game-winning goals by scoring 2:30 into overtime in New Jersey's 2-1 victory over Los Angeles on Thursday. The future Hall-of-Famer's 690th tally - and fourth in three games - moved him into a tie for ninth place overall with former Pittsburgh teammate Mario Lemieux. The Devils have won three in a row and collected points in 11 of their last 15 games (9-4-2) following a brutal 0-4-3 start to the season.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, MSG-PLUS (New Jersey), CSCA (San Jose)
ABOUT THE DEVILS (9-8-5): New Jersey isn't receiving much bang for the buck from struggling Damien Brunner, who signed a two-year, $5 million contract in September. The Swiss star is mired in a 10-game goalless drought and watched Thursday's contest from the press box as a healthy scratch while Mattias Tedenby was inserted into the lineup. Ryan Carter is providing unexpected offense with three goals in his last five games - his season high in tallies is six (2012-13).
ABOUT THE SHARKS (14-3-5): San Jose continues to flourish when versatile Brent Burns steps on the ice. The Sharks improved to 8-0-1 with the participation of Burns, who scored in his return following a 13-game absence due to unspecified facial injuries. Burns' return allowed Wingels to play right wing on a line with Patrick Marleau and Logan Couture - the latter two recorded three-point performances on Thursday.
OVERTIME
1. Thornton notched an assist on Thursday for his 1,141st career point, one behind former Detroit D Nicklas Lidstrom for 50th on the NHL's all-time list.
2. Four-time Vezina Trophy winner Martin Brodeur has won his last five starts and seven of eight overall, but is just 10-7-2 in his career versus San Jose.
3. After winning the opener of their season-long five-game homestand, the Sharks have collected points in eight of nine contests at The SAP Center in San Jose.