SAN JOSE SHARKS NOTES:
SHARK BITES
LAST TIME OUT
Game 6 – 10/24 SJS 1 at FLA 3…Fabian Zetterlund (1g, 0a) scored his second goal of the season, his second career power play goal, with assists coming from William Eklund (0g, 1a) and Thomas Bordeleau (0g, 1a), but the Sharks fell to Florida by a 3-1 final score. Defenseman Kyle Burroughs led the Sharks with six blocked shots, the most by a San Jose skater this season, and Nico Sturm turned in a 12-for-17 performance at the faceoff dot, starting the road trip a combined 22-for-31 (71.0-percent). The contest was Jan Rutta’s 300th NHL game.
SJS Goal: Zetterlund (2pp)
SF: 28
SA: 35
SJS PP: 1-3
SJS PK: 3-4
W: Stolarz
L: Blackwood
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
DATE OPP. TIME (PT)
Oct. 27 @ CAR 4:00 p.m.
Oct. 29 @ WSH 2:00 p.m.
Nov. 2 vs. VAN 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 4 vs. PIT 7:00 p.m.
Nov. 6 vs. PHI 7:30 p.m.
BLACKWOOD MAC
Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood turned in a remarkable first two games in teal, stopping 51 shots while helping the Sharks earn a point against the Colorado Avalanche on Oct. 14 and following up with a 36-save effort Oct. 17 against Carolina. His save total in his first game, which included stops on his first 48 shots faced in the game and is the most by a NHL netminder in any game this season, represents the most by any NHL goalie in a debut with a new team since at least 1955-56, per NHL PR, and was the most by a Sharks netminder in this milennium (Steve Shields – 51, Oct. 14, 1999, 5-1 W at NSH). Blackwood finished the contest one save shy of his career best of 52, set against Columbus on Feb. 16, 2020, a 4-3 shootout win. Through his first four appearances, Blackwood has amassed 148 saves on 162 shots faced (.914 SV%), matching Wade Flaherty (1991-92 to 1992-93) for most saves through his first four games as a Shark, per NHL PR. According to NHL Edge statistics, as of games ending Oct. 24 Blackwood has made the secondmost high-danger saves (46) in the NHL this season, trailing only Tampa Bay’s Jonas Johansson (56).
ZETT SETTER
Forward Fabian Zetterlund scratched the goal column for the first time with the Sharks since being acquired as part of the trade that sent Timo Meier to New Jersey in February, opening the scoring in San Jose’s Tuesday (Oct. 17) tilt with Carolina. Adding an assist later in the contest, Zetterlund tallied his first multi-point game in teal and sixth of his career. The Swedish forward followed up with his second goal in teal a week later, scoring on the power play in the Sharks’ contest at Florida (Oct. 24). Zetterlund’s production against the Hurricanes came along with his highest shift count of the year. He boasts three points through six games and is tied for the team lead with two power play points.
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
Thomas Bordeleau and William Eklund have each registered career firsts early in the season, with Bordeleau earning his first NHL goal in San Jose’s second contest of the year (Oct. 14), a deflection that beat Colorado’s Alexandar Georgiev for a 1-0 lead and Eklund banging home a rebound for his first power play goal in the NHL during San Jose’s Tuesday tilt against Carolina (Oct. 17), a score that gave the Sharks a 3-2 lead at the time. Eklund and Bordeleau combined to assist Zetterlund’s marker on Oct. 24 at Florida, each registering an assist on the power play strike. The duo entered the season after posting strong 2022-23 campaigns, with Eklund earning Sharks Rookie of the Year honors and Bordeleau being named to the AHL All-Star Classic. They finished tied with 41 points last season with the Barracuda, Bordeleau registering 22 goals and 19 assists in 65 games while Eklund netted 17 goals and added 24 helpers.
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING NOTES:
LAST GAME
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
OCTOBER 26, 2023 VS. SAN JOSE SHARKS 2004 2020 2021
Score 1ST 2ND 3RD FINAL
Carolina 0 0 0 0
Tampa Bay 1 1 1 3
The Tampa Bay Lightning got back in the win column Tuesday night with a 3-0 shutout win over the Carolina Hurricanes at AMALE Arena…The Bolts improved to 3-2-2 on the season with a home record of 3-0-1…Brayden Point opened the scoring with his first goal of the season when he redirected a point shot from Victor Hedman on the power play to put Tampa Bay up 1-0 with 54 seconds remaining in the first period…Nikita Kucherov picked up the secondary helper on Point’s goal for his fourth assist of the season…Alex Barré-Boulet lit the lamp for the second-straight game at the 17:51 mark of the second period when he sent a pass to the point for Darren Raddysh and went to the front of the net before redirecting a shot pass from Raddysh past Pyotr Kochetkov to double the Lightning lead…Point recorded the secondary assist on Barré-Boulet’s goal to post his third multipoint effort this season…Nick Paul closed the game out with 2:56 remaining in regulation after Mikhail Sergachev sent the puck to Brandon Hagel, who found Paul waiting at the left faceoff dot to fire a one-timer to the far post for his fourth goal of the year…Jonas Johansson was perfect in goal for the Bolts, stopping all 32 shots he faced for his second career shutout and first as a member of the Lightning.
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
The Lightning and Sharks are playing the first of two matchups this season and the only meeting at AMALIE Arena…The Bolts posted a 1-0-1 record vs. SJS last season, collecting a 4-3 win Oct. 29 at SJS and dropping the Feb. 7 contest at AMALIE Arena in overtime by a score of 4-3…Brayden Point (2-2—4) led all Tampa Bay skaters in points vs. SJS last season and was tied with Ross Colton (2-0—2) for the team lead in goals…Point is riding a fivegame point streak vs. SJS (3-4—7) and has found the scoresheet in eight of his 11 career contests vs. SJS (3-8—11)… Nikita Kucherov has points in four straight games vs. SJS (2-4—6) and has picked up points in eight of his last 10 contests vs. SJS (5-9—14)…Kucherov has posted a multi-point effort in three of his last four home games vs. SJS (2-4—6)…Steven Stamkos has points in seven of his last 10 contests vs. SJS (6-9—15)…Stamkos has recorded seven points over his last four home games vs. SJS (4-3—7)…Victor Hedman is riding a four-game point streak vs. SJS (2-3—5) and has picked up points in seven of his last eight contests vs. SJS (5-6—11)…Hedman has points in four consecutive home games vs. SJS (3-5—8)…Anthony Cirelli has found the scoresheet in five of his last six contests vs. SJS (1-5—6)…Nick Paul has five points in his seven career games vs. SJS (3-2—5)…Mikhail Sergachev has picked up points in five of his last eight contests vs. SJS (1-5—6)…The Lightning are 5-4-1 in their last 10 home games vs. SJS and 8-1-1 in the last 10 meetings overall…The Bolts have scored three or more goals in nine of their last 10 meetings with SJS (total: 45 goals)…Tampa Bay is 25-20-1 with two ties all-time vs. SJS, including a home record of 13-10-1 with one tie…Stamkos (14-14—28) holds the Lightning franchise records for career goals, assists and points vs. SJS.
TBL ALL-TIME POINT LEADERS VS. SJS
- Steven Stamkos – 28 pts. (14-14—28, 21 GP)
- Nikita Kucherov – 16 pts. (7-9—16, 16 GP)
- Victor Hedman – 15 pts. (5-10—15, 20 GP)
- Martin St. Louis – 14 pts. (11-3—14, 15 GP)
- Alex Killorn – 13 pts. (6-7—13, 18 GP)
INJURIES
PLAYER INJURY STATUS GAMES MISSED
Tyler Motte Upper-Body Out 6
Andrei Vasilevskiy Back Out 7
2023-24 Total Man Games Lost: 15
