San Jose Sharks Open Four-Game Road Trip Against Washington
By Felix Chow
Overview:
With two wins to kick off the 2015-16 season, the San Jose Sharks head back on the road to the East where they face the high-powered Washington Capitals.
The Sharks are riding high after posting a pair of victories over their division rivals to kick off their season. San Jose routed the Los Angeles Kings 5-1 on opening night, before shutting out the Anaheim Ducks at SAP Center on Saturday night. It’s been an outstanding start for Peter DeBoer, and the Sharks have received contributions from up-and-down their lineup.
Meanwhile, Washington is the lone NHL team to have only played one game thus far. The Capitals posted a 5-3 victory against DeBoer’s former team in the New Jersey Devils, as Washington exploded for three third-period goals to break the game open.
The Sharks and Capitals split last season’s series in two highly entertaining affairs. San Jose won the first game with a 6-5 shootout victory in Washington, while the Capitals answered back with a 5-4 overtime win at SAP Center last February.
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Injuries/Scratches
Sharks: Raffi Torres (suspension) is out.
Capitals: Alex Ovechkin (personal reasons) is a game time decision while Nicklas Backstrom (hip) is out.
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- Tomas Hertl is off to a hot start
Keys to the Game
1. Penalty Kill
Washington is extremely potent on the power play, going two-for-five against New Jersey in their opener. The Capitals boasted the league’s best power play last season at 25.3 percent, and Ovechkin led the league with 26 power play goals. The Sharks will have their hands full, but they’ve been up to the challenge thus far, killing off all seven power play opportunities against. Needless to say, the best way to avoid their power play is to stay out of the penalty box.
2. Joel Ward Returns
Joel Ward returns to Washington to take on his former teammates. Ward signed a three-year deal with San Jose this offseason after spending the past four seasons with the Capitals. In 276 career games with Washington, Ward scored 57 goals and 64 assists while being a plus-22 during his tenure there. Ward has been a perfect fit on the Sharks second line alongside Patrick Marleau and Logan Couture. He should be fired up and ready to go for this one.
3. Can Martin Jones Keep Rolling?
Jones was the biggest question mark heading into the season for San Jose as nobody knew how he’d handle his first year as a full-time starter. If the first two games are any indication, Jones should be just fine. Jones has stopped 46 of the 47 shots he’s faced to this point, including a current shutout streak of 118 minutes and 11 seconds. The Capitals may post the biggest offensive challenge for Jones to date so it will be interesting to see how he fares in this one.
TV/Radio Broadcast
TV: CSNCA
Radio: 98.5 KFOX
Next: San Jose Sharks Prepare For First Road Trek