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SAN JOSE SHARKS TUESDAY, NOV. 5 10:30 P.M. SAP CENTER SAN JOSE, CA |
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Following a strong start to the season, the Columbus Blue Jackets were hit with a heavy dose of reality in their first back-to-back games of the season on Friday and Saturday.
The 6-2 and 7-2 losses to the Winnipeg Jets and Washington Capitals were Columbus' two worst losses of the season. The Jets and Caps are two of the best teams in the league with potent offenses, but the Blue Jackets were thoroughly outplayed in both games and it felt as if they made more mistakes in those two games than they had made the rest of the season combined.
That's something head coach Dean Evason said the team focused on at Monday's before practice.
"We watched every goal," said Evason. "It’s not calling guys out. I think we established that right away. It’s teaching, it’s learning, and it’s being accountable."
The first chance to see the effectiveness of those addressed concerns will come Tuesday night, when the Blue Jackets battle the San Jose Sharks.
Despite a three-game win streak that Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks, the Sharks remain the team with the fewest points in the NHL. It's a game that, if Columbus can rediscover their structure, they should be able to win.
Here's what to know when the puck drops in San Jose for what will be the Sharks' fourth straight home contest:
| CBJ | SEASON STATS | SJ | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.55 | 10th | GOALS FOR | 28th | 2.46 |
| 3.45 | 25th | GOALS AGAINST | t-29th | 3.77 |
| 17.2% | 20th | POWER PLAY | 15th | 20.5% |
| 80.0% | 15th | PENALTY KILL | 14th | 81.5% |
| 28.9 | 17th | SHOTS FOR | 26th | 27.3 |
| 29.2 | 20th | SHOTS AGAINST | 27th | 31.8 |
| 49.8% | 17th | FACEOFFS | 15th | 50.1% |
| SAN JOSE: LAST THREE GAMES | ||||
| TUE, 10/29 | vs. Kings | W, 4-2 | ||
| THU, 10/31 | vs. Blackhawks | W, 3-2 | ||
| SAT, 11/2 | vs. Canucks | L, 3-2 | ||
| SAN JOSE: TEAM LEADERS | ||||
| GOALS |
Mikael Granlund Tyler Toffoli Fabian Zetterlund |
6 | ||
| ASSISTS |
Mikael Granlund Jake Walman |
8 | ||
| POINTS | Mikael Granlund | 14 | ||
| ODDS & PROJECTIONS | ||||
| CBJ WIN PER MONEYPUCK: | 53% | |||
| CBJ ODDS PER ESPNBET: | -135 | |||
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For the first time this season, the Blue Jackets are the betting favorites. They are -135 to win as of Tuesday afternoon. The Sharks remain one of two teams (the Montreal Canadiens being the other) who have been the underdog in every game they've played.
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The offense sputtered a bit in the last two games, but Columbus' 39 goals through 11 games is still tied for a franchise record with the 2018-19 team. In that season, they scored four goals in the 12th game — ironically, that was also a mid-week game in San Jose. Columbus won 4-1, with the Sharks only goal being scored by current Blue Jacket Kevin Labanc.
- Elvis Merzlikins gets the start in net for the CBJ. Zach Aston-Reese is a healthy scratch as James van Riemsdyk draws back in. Here are Tuesday’s complete lines:
| LW | C | RW | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 59 | Yegor Chinakhov | 23 | Sean Monahan | 82 | Kirill Marchenko |
| 4 | Cole Sillinger | 19 | Adam Fantilli | 82 | Mikael Pyyhtia |
| 10 | Dmitrin Voronkov | 17 | Justin Danforth | 24 | Mathieu Olivier |
| 21 | James van Riemsdyk | 7 |
Sean Kuraly |
62 | Kevin Labanc |
| LD | RD | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Zach Werenski | 9 | Ivan Provorov |
| 2 | Jake Christiansen | 78 | Damon Severson |
| 3 | Jack Johnson | 55 | David Jiricek |
| Starting Goalie | Back-Up | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 | Elvis Merzlikins | 40 | Daniil Tarasov |
