On Wednesday, Jayson Tatum came out of a shooting slump, which could hurt the Brooklyn Nets when they play the Boston Celtics on Friday night.
Tatum scored 41 points in a 117-113 victory over Cleveland, following two subpar performances since the All-Star break. In addition, he had eight assists and 11 rebounds in the victory, which came just two days after Boston’s 109-94 loss to New York.
In Boston’s three games since the All-Star break, Tatum shot 36.6% from the field and 24% from behind the 3-point arc, leading up to the Cavaliers game on Wednesday. In the game against Cleveland, he shot 13 of 21, including 4 of 6 attempts from behind the 3-point arc.
Tatum is averaging 30.3 points per game going into Friday’s game.
Against the Cavaliers, Al Horford made six 3-pointers, matching his career high.
Since trading Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, the Nets, on the other hand, have been moving in the wrong direction. In the first half of Wednesday’s 142-118 defeat to New York, Brooklyn allowed 81 points. The team’s four-game losing streak was extended by that setback.
Brooklyn is 7-18 in its last 25 games and has lost six of its last seven. The Nets—whether from Brooklyn or New Jersey—have never allowed more than 81 points in a halftime period than the Knicks did.
In 12 of the team’s 16 quarters played since the All-Star break, Brooklyn has allowed at least 30 points.
Ben Simmons won’t be able to play against the Celtics because of soreness in his knee, according to Brooklyn coach Jacque Vaughn.
When Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers make their one and only appearance in Atlanta on Friday to take on the Hawks coached by Trae Young, two of the most dynamic scorers in the NBA will be in the spotlight.
Lillard scored 71 points on Sunday against the Houston Rockets and 41 points on Wednesday against the New Orleans Pelicans, who defeated them 121-110. He has 7.1 assists and 32.3 points per game, which ranks third in the league going into Thursday’s action.
In the last three games, Young has scored at least 30 points, including 31 on Tuesday against Washington, which was a 119-116 defeat. Young is averaging 27.1 points and 10.1 assists per game, which ranks him 10th in the league heading into Thursday’s action. Last season, he scored 56 against Portland.
Dejounte Murray, Murray’s backcourt teammate, had a career performance against the Blazers in their first meeting. Murray had a career-high 40 points, seven assists, eight rebounds, and no turnovers. According to Elias Sports, he is the first Hawk to achieve those results since the 1977–78 campaign.
This is the second time the two teams have met this season. On its own court, Portland prevailed 129-125 on January 30. In that game, Lillard scored 42 points, and he has scored 30 or more points in five of his last five games against Atlanta. The Hawks have won their last three games in Atlanta, including last season’s 122-113 victory.
Both teams’ hopes of making the playoffs depend on this game.
For the No. 1 spot, Portland is 1 1/2 games behind New Orleans. a chance to participate in the play-in tournament and a spot in the Western Conference’s top ten. When the Blazers lost to the Pelicans, they missed a chance to gain ground.
Six of its last nine games and four of its last five are losses for Portland. Atlanta is the first game in a six-game East Coast road trip for the Blazers.
No. 1 is Atlanta. Eighth in the Eastern Conference, three games behind No. 6 Brooklyn for last place in the playoffs. The Hawks will play their final four games of a four-game homestand following the All-Star Game. The remaining four games will be played on the road.
Atlanta will play its second game under the direction of head coach Quin Snyder. On Wednesday, Snyder was in charge, but he left a lot of the game decisions up to assistant Joe Prunty, who led the team to two wins after Nate McMillan was fired.
After missing three games due to a right ankle sprain, Anfernee Simons returned to Portland. However, Simons had to be taken to the locker room after injuring the same ankle in the third quarter against New Orleans. He will be decided on game day.
After this week’s injury pinch, which altered the available personnel, the Charlotte Hornets are concerned about their offense.
The Hornets’ arrival on Friday night, when the Orlando Magic, who are visiting, come to town, might be just what they need.
The defense is a major problem for the Magic, who have allowed more than 120 points in each of their last three defeats. That includes Milwaukee’s 139-117 defeat on Wednesday night.
Additionally, an apparently agitated group.
The Magic will be wrapping up a three-game road trip while the Hornets finish a four-game homestand.
With the Hornets’ 105-91 home loss to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night, their season-high five-game winning streak came to an end.
It was LaMelo Ball’s first game since suffering an ankle fracture that ended the season. However, Ball had been out for some time earlier in the season, so playing without him is a challenge but not unheard of.
Kelly Oubre Jr. was reinstated in the lineup of starters.
P.J. Washington, the Hornets’ starting forward, has also been out with a foot injury for nearly a week, but Clifford said he should be back soon.
Dennis Smith Jr., a guard, got a lot of playing time when Ball was out earlier in the season. He will probably get a bigger role again.
In order for Charlotte to have a positive season finale, that will put an emphasis on areas other than scoring.
The continued development of rookie center Mark Williams is one of the Hornets’ positive developments. He is the first rookie in franchise history to record three consecutive double-doubles (points and rebounds) since Emeka Okafor in the spring of 2005.
Paolo Banchero, Orlando’s rookie forward and Williams’ former Duke teammate, is adjusting to life on the other bench.
For nearly a month, the Magic have won and lost on a regular basis. This win-loss rotation has been in place for ten games, beginning with Orlando’s victory over Charlotte on Feb. 5 (119-113).
On October 28, the Hornets lost to Orlando 113-93, but on November 14, they won 112-105 to exact revenge. Despite Ball’s 33 points, the Magic prevailed in the game on February 5.
Last season, Los Angeles Football Club defeated Portland 2-1 on the penultimate weekend of the regular season and 2-0 in the United States Open Cup. Prior to that, Portland had gone six matches against Los Angeles Football Club without dropping a single one since October 2020 (W3 D3).
In its MLS history, Los Angeles Football Club has won all five of its season openers. From 2012 to 2017, FC Dallas was the only team in league history to win its first match six times in a row.
Monday’s 1-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City marked only the fourth time in the Timbers’ 13 MLS seasons that they had won their opening match. They have only once started a season with two straight wins, in 2017, when they won 1-0 at the Los Angeles Galaxy in Southern California.
Only once in the previous six seasons (D1 L4) have the defending MLS Cup champions started their title defense with a victory. The Rapids defeated a Timbers team in their first-ever MLS match in 2011 by a score of 3-1, marking the second time a reigning champion has opened their season against the Timbers.
Juan Mosquera, a Colombian, and Yimmi Chara, a fellow Colombian, assisted on Portland’s lone goal in Monday’s victory. The Timbers have scored seven goals by Colombians since the end of last season (D. Asprilla4, S. Moreno2, J. Mosquera 1).
TAMPA BAY – The Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired forward Michael Eyssimont from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for forward Vladislav Namestnikov, vice president and general manager Julien BriseBois announced today. The Lightning will retain 50 percent of Namestnikov’s salary as part of the trade acquisition.
Eyssimont, 26, has skated in 39 games between San Jose and Winnipeg this season, posting four goals and 13 points. The 6-foot, 180-pound forward began the season with the Jets, where he scored a goal and notched five points in 19 games. Eyssimont was claimed off waivers by San Jose on January 6 and posted three goals and eight points in 20 games with the Sharks.
Eyssimont has played 40 career NHL games. He made his NHL debut with the Jets on April 11, 2022, registering one shot in 5:49 time on ice. The Littleton, Colo. native was a fifth-round draft pick (142nd overall) of the Los Angeles Kings in the 2016 NHL Draft.
TAMPA BAY – The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled defenseman Darren Raddysh, vice president and general manager Julien BriseBois announced today.
Raddysh, 27, has yet to play for the Lightning this season but has four games of NHL experience, all coming during the 2021-22 season with Tampa Bay. He made his NHL debut December 30, 2021 at Florida and posted two shots.
The 6-foot-1, 193-pound Raddysh has skated in 50 games this season with the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League, notching 13 goals and 50 points, ranking second on the Crunch for assists (37) and scoring. Raddysh leads all Crunch defensemen for scoring and ranks second among AHL defenseman scoring leaders. Raddysh also ranks second among all AHL defensemen for assists and tied for second for goals and was selected to represent the North Division at the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic. Raddysh has skated in 339 career AHL contests, notching 42 goals and 170 points.
The undrafted Raddysh was originally signed by the Lightning to a one-year, two-way contract July 28, 2021 and was re-signed to a two-year, two-way contract June 30, 2022.
NEW YORK – Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid, Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon and Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the month of February.
FIRST STAR – CONNOR McDAVID, C, EDMONTON OILERS
McDavid, who began February by participating in his sixth NHL All-Star Game, led the League in assists (14), points (23), shots on goal (63), power-play assists (7), power-play points (t-8), shorthanded goals (t-2) and shorthanded points (t-3) across 11 contests to guide the Oilers (32-21-8, 72 points) to a 4‑3-4 month. McDavid, who also shared second place in goals (9) and topped NHL forwards in average time on ice (23:41), found the scoresheet in 10 of his 11 appearances, headlined by seven multi-point performances and a streak of four straight multi-goal games to close the month (Feb. 21-27: 8-5—13) – the longest by any player since Patrick Marleau more than 10 years ago (Jan. 20-26, 2013: 8-3—11 in 4 GP w/ SJS). Among his February achievements, McDavid reached the 100-point milestone for the sixth time (Feb. 17 vs. NYR), became the fifth-fastest and fifth-youngest player in League history to accumulate 800 career points (Feb. 21 vs. PHI), and capped the month by becoming the first NHL player since 1995-96 to hit the 50-goal milestone in 61 or fewer games (Feb. 27 vs. BOS). The 26-year-old McDavid, who is looking to add his first Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy to his collection of two straight and four career Art Ross Trophies, paces the NHL in goals (50), assists (65), points (115), power-play assists (37) and power-play points (54) through 61 total outings this season.
SECOND STAR – NATHAN MacKINNON, C, COLORADO AVALANCHE
MacKinnon, who played in his fourth NHL All-Star Game, tied for second in the League in points per game (1.70) and placed third overall with 9-8—17 in 10 contests to propel the Avalanche (34-19-5, 73 points) into third place in the Central Division on the strength of a 7-1-2 February. MacKinnon – who led the NHL in even-strength points (8-7—15), finished second in shots on goal (56) and shared second place in goals (9) – ranked among the top forwards in average time on ice (2nd; 23:08) and plus/minus (t-4th; +8). He collected points in nine of his 10 outings during the month, including each of his last eight to close February (8-8—16). That stretch featured a run of six consecutive multi-point performances (Feb. 11-24: 6-8—14), matching a career high also achieved Nov. 18-28, 2018 (6-9—15), as well as a pair of game-winning goals (Feb. 11 at FLA and Feb. 15 at MIN). The 27-year-old MacKinnon, who has missed 11 of Colorado’s 58 total contests this season (47 GP), sits second in the NHL – behind only McDavid (1.89) – with 1.51 points per game in 2022-23 (22-49—71), the highest average of his 10-year career. He also ranks among this season’s top performers in shots on goal (6th; 248), assists (9th; 49) and points (17th; 71).
THIRD STAR – LINUS ULLMARK, G, BOSTON BRUINS
Ullmark, who helped the Atlantic Division capture a championship in his NHL All-Star Game debut, posted a flawless month, going 6-0-0 with a 1.79 goals-against average and .947 save percentage as the League-leading Bruins (47-8-5, 99 points) recorded an NHL-best 9-1-0 February. Ullmark allowed two or fewer goals in each of his first five starts, then capped the month with a career-high and franchise-record 54 saves Feb. 28 at CGY. He became the second-fastest goaltender in League history to reach the 30-win milestone, doing so in his 37th game Feb. 25 at VAN. Ullmark achieved another notable feat in that contest, becoming the 13th different netminder in NHL history – and first since Jan. 9, 2020 – to score a regular-season goal. The 29-year-old Ullmark, who has made 38 total appearances in 2022-23, paces the League in wins (31), goals-against average (1.88) and save percentage (.938) this season. He is seeking to become the sixth different goaltender in NHL history to finish a season atop all three categories (minimum: 40 GP) and the first since Carey Price in 2014-15 (w/ MTL).
NEW YORK – Ottawa Senators goaltender Mads Sogaard, who went 4-0-1 with a 2.33 goals-against average and .922 save percentage in six appearances (five starts), has been named the NHL’s “Rookie of the Month” for February.
Sogaard edged Arizona Coyotes teammates Connor Ingram (2-1-2, 2.41 GAA, .935 SV%, 1 SO) and Matias Maccelli (1-7—8 in 10 GP), Buffalo Sabres right wing Jack Quinn (3-5—8 in 10 GP), Anaheim Ducks center Mason McTavish (3-4—7 in 11 GP), and Calgary Flames left wing Jakob Pelletier (3-4—7 in 11 GP) for the honor.
Sogaard, who made his season debut (in relief) Feb. 11 and first start of 2022-23 Feb. 13, became the fourth rookie goaltender in Ottawa history to earn points in his first five or more decisions of a campaign, following Ray Emery in 2005-06 (6-0-1), Robin Lehner in 2012-13 (2-0-4) and Jani Hurme in 2000-01 (3-0-2).
Sogaard, who previously made two NHL appearances in 2021-22 (1-1-0, 3.07 GAA, .889 SV%), recorded at least 30 saves in three of his five February starts and also yielded two or fewer goals three times, capped by a run of three straight wins to close the month (Feb. 19-28: 1.67 GAA, .938 SV%).
The 22-year-old Sogaard, a second-round pick (37th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft, joins Senators teammate Shane Pinto (October) as a “Rookie of the Month” winner in 2022-23. Ottawa is the second team in as many years to have multiple recipients of the award in the same season, following the Detroit Red Wings’ duo of Moritz Seider (October) and Lucas Raymond (November) in 2021-22.
* Connor McDavid led the Oilers past Auston Matthews and the Maple Leafs by recording his fifth consecutive multi-goal game and extending his lead in the 2022-23 Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy race to double digits.
*Twenty-one-year-old Dawson Mercer joined a short list of skaters as he extended his goal streak to seven games while his Devils closed the gap on top spot in the Metropolitan Division.
* The Bruins will look to become the fastest team in NHL history to reach 100 points when they face the Sabres at TD Garden during a 10-game Thursday.
ANOTHER GAME, ANOTHER ACHIEVEMENT FOR CONNOR McDAVID
Connor McDavid (2-1—3) factored on each of Edmonton’s first-period goals to register his 21st career three-point period and fifth consecutive multi-goal game to help the Oilers (33-21-8, 74 points) leapfrog the idle Kraken (33-21-6, 72 points) for third place in the Pacific Division. Seattle holds two games in hand.
* McDavid, who owns a 10-goal lead in the 2022-23 Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy race, became the first player in Oilers history to register five consecutive multi-goal games, breaking a tie with Wayne Gretzky (4 GP in 1984-85).
* Tuesday marked the 21st time the Oilers captain notched three-plus points in a period and stands as one of eight players in the past 30 years to register as many instances. The others: Jaromir Jagr (47), Mario Lemieux (34), Sidney Crosby (24), Teemu Selanne (23), Paul Kariya (22), Alex Ovechkin (21) and Patrick Kane (21).
* McDavid has 17 three-point games in 2022-23 and sits one shy of his highest in a single season (18 GP in 2020-21). Only four other players have had as many three-point games in a campaign since 2000-01: Nikita Kucherov (18 GP in 2018-19 w/ TBL), Joe Thornton (18 GP in 2006-07 w/ SJS & 2005-06 w/ BOS/SJS), Jaromir Jagr (18 GP in 2005-06 w/ NYR) and Joe Sakic (19 GP in 2000-01 w/ COL).
MERCER EXTENDS GOAL STREAK TO SEVEN, DEVILS EARN 40TH WIN OF 2022-23
Dawson Mercer scored one of New Jersey’s seven tallies to extend his goal streak to seven games as the Devils earned their 40th win in just their 60th contest of 2022-23 – establishing a new franchise benchmark for fewest games to the mark (previously 62 GP in 2008-09). New Jersey (40-15-5, 85 points), which joined Boston as the second team to reach 40 wins in 2022-23, moved within one point of Carolina (39-12-8, 86 points) for first in the Metropolitan Division.
* Mercer, who tied Connor McDavid, Kirill Kaprizov and Leon Draisaitl for the longest run by any player in 2022-23, moved within one of tying Paul Gardner (8 GP in 1977-78 w/ CLR) for the longest goal streak in Devils/Rockies/Scouts history. The last season to feature a player age 21 or younger with a longer run was 1981-82 when both Wayne Gretzky (9 GP) and Ron Flockhart (8 GP) did so.
* New Jersey scored seven goals in a game for the second time in as many contests (also 7-0 W vs. PHI on Feb. 25) – a feat they achieved for the fifth time in franchise history (2 GP on Feb. 8-10, 2022; Feb. 5-10, 1994; Oct. 29-30, 1986 & March 6-8, 1986).
With one day remaining until the 2022-23 NHL Trade Deadline Presented by OFX (3 p.m. ET on Friday, March 3), a number of household names were on the move including Jonathan Quick,who was traded to the Blue Jackets after a decorated 16-plus season career with the Kings. Quick is one of just two goaltenders in NHL history with at least two Stanley Cups (2012 & 2014), two William M. Jennings Trophies (2014 & 2018) and the Conn Smythe Trophy (2012). The other: Patrick Roy.
BRUINS SET SIGHTS ON CENTURY MARK IN BOSTON The NHL-leading Bruins (47-8-5, 99 points) will look to become the fastest team in NHL history to reach 100 points in a season when they clash with the Sabres (31-24-4, 66 points) at TD Garden during a 10-game slate.
* With a point Thursday, Boston can be the first team to reach 100 points in a season (outright or tied) for the seventh time in NHL history – most recently doing so in 2019-20. Montreal and Detroit pace all franchises, having hit the mark first in a campaign eight times each – the last time the Canadiens accomplished the feat was in 2014-15 and the Red Wings was in 2008-09.
* The Bruins can require the fewest contests in NHL history to reach the 100-point mark in a season. Boston’s current best is 63, achieved in 1971-72 en route to its fifth Stanley Cup championship.
“SHOWTIME” SET FOR BROADWAY DEBUT, WILL REUNITE WITH PANARIN Patrick Kane (16-29—45 in 54 GP), who was acquired by the Rangers in a trade Tuesday, is expected to make his Rangers debut Thursday while skating on a line with former Blackhawks teammate Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck. Kane spent his first 16 seasons with Chicago where he ranks second on its all-time points list and was a key contributor to three Stanley Cup championships.
* Kane and Panarin were teammates for two seasons (2015-16 – 2016-17). Their first campaign as linemates in 2015-16 was a memorable one, with Panarin registering the second-highest point total by a Blackhawks rookie en route to the Calder Trophy (30-47—77 in 80 GP), while Kane posted his first 100-point season to capture the Hart Trophy and become the first U.S.-born player to win the Art Ross Trophy.
* Over those two seasons as linemates, Kane and Panarin factored on the same goal 102 times, double the next pair of Blackhawks teammates (51: Kane and Artem Anisimov) and more than any other duo in the League. Kane (45) has assisted on more Panarin goals than any other player.
* Kane enters the contest having scored multiple goals in three of his last four appearances (7-3—10 in 4 GP). Thirteen players have recorded two-plus goals in their Rangers debut, with just three doing so in the 2000s or later: Derek Stepan (3 on Oct. 9, 2010), Ryane Clowe (2 on April 3, 2013) and Brendan Shanahan (2 on Oct. 5, 2006). The most points by a player in their Rangers debut is four: Derick Brassard (April 3, 2013) and Doug Bentley (Jan. 20, 1954).
CURRENT INJURIES Jake Neighbours – Upper-Body (Will be re-evaluated in 5 weeks; announced on Feb. 20) 2022-23 Total Man Games Lost: 241
RECENT TRANSACTIONS February 27 – Recalled forward Nikita Alexandrov from the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL) 26 – Traded forward Ivan Barbashev to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for prospect Zachary Dean 25 – Acquired forward Kasperi Kapanen from Pittsburgh with a Waiver Claim; Assigned forward Nikita Alexandrov to the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL) 23 – Activated forward Brandon Saad from IR 23 – Assigned forward Matthew Highmore to the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL) 20 – Placed forward Jake Neighbours on IR; Activated defenseman Marco Scandella and Scott Perunovich from IR; Assigned Perunovich to the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL)
BLUES VS. SHARKS
This will be the 2nd of 3 matchups between the Blues and Sharks this season
The Blues will host the Sharks next Thursday, March 9, to finish their season series
The Blues won the 1st matchup of the season with the Sharks, 5-3 back on Nov. 10 in St. Louis
The Blues went 3-0-0 against the Sharks last season (2-0-0 away; 1-0-0 at home)
The Blues have won 6 straight games against San Jose, outscoring the Sharks 23-11 in those 6 games
The Blues have earned points in 8 straight games against the Sharks (7-0-1)
The Blues have won 4 straight games in San Jose and have earned points in their last 8 trips to San Jose (6-0-2)
The Blues have not allowed a power play goal to the Sharks in 5 of their last 6 matchups, going 8 for 9 (88.9%) on the penalty kill over those 6 games
The Blues have scored a power play goal in 3 straight games against the Sharks, going 3 for 11 (27.3%) on the power play over those 3 games
Jordan Binnington’s next appearance will be the 210th game played of his career, moving him ahead of Greg Millen for 5th on the Blues all-time franchise list
UPCOMING SCHEDULE 3/4 – at Los Angeles 3/7 – at Arizona 3/9 – vs. San Jose 3/11 – at Columbus 3/12 – vs. Vegas
A LOOK AHEAD
The Blues will embark on a 3-game road trip to start the month of March (Thursday in San Jose /Saturday in Los Angeles / Tuesday in Arizona)
The Blues will play 15 games in March (9 away; 6 home)
11 of the Blues’ 15 games in March will come against Central Division opponents (3 against the Central)
SAN JOSE SHARKS NOTES:
LAST GAME: Game 61 – 2/28 – SJS 1 vs MTL 3…Jacob MacDonald (1g, 0a) netted his first goal as a Shark and Kaapo Kahkonen stopped the first 27 shots he faced, but a three-goal third period for the visiting Montreal Canadiens proved to be the difference in Tuesday’s tilt. With his goal, MacDonald has his first point streak as a Shark, finding the score sheet in consecutive games (1g, 1a). Forwards Andreas Johnsson (0g, 0a) and Fabian Zetterlund (0g, 0a), acquired in a trade with New Jersey, made their respective San Jose debuts and defenseman Radim Simek (0g, 0a) appeared in a game for the first time since being injured on December 31 at Dallas. SJ Goals: MacDonald (1) SF: 39 SA: 32 SJ PP: 0/2 SJ PK: 3/3 W: Allen L: Kahkonen
RECENT SHARKS TRANSACTIONS 3/1 Acquired F Vladislav Namestnikov from Tampa Bay (50% retained) in exchange for F Mikey Eyssimont 2/26 Assigned D Nikita Ohotiuk to the San Jose Barracuda 2/26 Assigned F Martin Kaut to the San Jose Barracuda 2/26 Acquired a 2023 first-round selection (top two protected), a conditional 2024 first-round selection (dependent on New Jersey making either the 2023 Conference Finals [Meier must play in 50% of New Jersey’s playoff games] or 2024 Conference Finals), a 2024 seventh-round selection, F Andreas Johnsson, D Shakir Mukhamadullin, D Nikita Okhotiuk and F Fabian Zetterlund from New Jersey in exchange for F Timo Meier (50% retained), D Scott Harrington, D Santeri Hatakka, F Timur Ibragimov, G Zach Emond and a 2024 fifth-round selection (Colorado’s)
TONIGHT’S OPPONENT: ST. LOUIS BLUES The St. Louis Blues begin a three-game road trip Thursday against San Jose, bringing a six-game losing skid with them as they head west. It’s the second meeting of the season between the Sharks and Blues, with St. Louis taking the first matchup, 5-3 in St. Louis on Nov. 10. The teams will have one contest remaining, next Thursday in Missouri. St. Louis has been active on the trade market with Ivan Barbashev, Vladimir Tarasenko, Ryan O’Reilly, Noel Acciari and Nikko Mikkola all departing since February 9.
PRIME PENALTY KILL…After a 3-for-3 performance shorthanded against Montreal on Feb. 28, the Sharks boast the NHL’s third-best penalty kill at 83.9-percent on the year. San Jose has operated at a 90.9-percent clip since the All-Star break, fifth-best in the league. The Sharks have finished top-two in the NHL on the PK in two of the past three years, including second (85.2%) in 2021-22 and first (85.7%) in 2019-20.
