SAN JOSE SHARKS NOTES:
JUST KEEP SWIMMING
After a trying first 11 games to start the season in which San Jose went 0-10-1 to open the campaign, the Sharks rebounded in the next 11-game segment with .500 hockey – a record of 5-5-1, including wins in five of the past seven home games, points in six of those contests. Within the more-recent 11-game segment, San Jose avenged losses to teams from the first 11 games with victories over Vancouver (Nov. 25) and Washington (Nov. 27). The second half of the play thus far in the season has featured more scoring and stingier defense as well as better play from both special teams’ unit.
DEALS WITH THE DEVILS
The Sharks and Devils made a blockbuster deal in February with San Jose acquiring F Andreas Johnsson, D Shakir Mukhamadullin, D Nikita Okhotiuk and F Fabian Zetterlund as well as New Jersey’s 2023 first-round pick (26th overall; F Quentin Musty) and a conditional first-round selection in 2024 in exchange for Timo Meier, Scott Harrington, select prospects and a 2024 fifth-round pick. Friday’s meeting will be the first time that the teams have met since the trade was made. The Sharks’ acquisitions of Okhotiuk and Zetterlund have contributed 14 points to the cause so far this season, Zetterlund co-leading the Sharks in goals (6) and adding three helpers and Okhtoiuk adding a handful of assists of his own. Mukhamadullin has featured prominently with the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) and Musty, named Sharks Prospect of the Week after a nine-point spurt over the past three games (6g, 3a), is third in the OHL in points per-game (min. 10 GP). Meier has 11 points (5g, 6a) through 14 games with New Jersey on the year. San Jose and New Jersey then went back to the negotiating table in the summer, the Sharks acquiring G Mackenzie Blackwood in exchange for a 2023 sixth-round pick. Blackwood, signed to a two-year deal on July 1, leads the club in wins, GAA and SV%.
TIGHT MARGINS, BIG RESULTS
With Monday’s 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals, the Sharks improved to 4-0-2 on the year in games decided by one goal. The .833 points percentage placed San Jose third in the NHL as of Nov. 30, trailing only the New York Rangers (.938) and St. Louis Blues (.875). The Sharks are one of only five teams without a regulation loss in one-goal games on the year, and each game of the Sharks’ recent three-game point streak was decided by one goal (2-0-1).
TOP KUN(IN)
Forward Luke Kunin netted his first game-winner in teal in Monday’s victory against Washington, lighting the lamp on the power play with 7:12 remaining in regulation. With his fifth goal of the season, Kunin has matched his 2022-23 output, set in 31 games before suffering a season-ending injury. Kunin has five points (4g, 1a) in the past nine games, including a three-game point streak (3g, 1a) earlier in November.
LIKE MIKE
Forward Mike Hoffman has overcome a slow start on the offensive end, most recently adding to his point total with his second multi-point game in teal (1g, 1a) and adding his team-leading sixth goal of the season in the Sharks’ 4-3 win over Vancouver on Saturday (Nov. 25). Hoffman’s marker was his first game-winning goal as a Shark. Hoffman now has six goals and seven points (6g, 1a) in the past eight games entering Friday at New Jersey, including a multi-goal effort on Nov. 16 against St. Louis. Hoffman, acquired over the summer in the trade that sent defenseman Erik Karlsson to Pittsburgh, has registered 20 or more goals in six of the past nine seasons. He played in his 700th career game in San Jose’s Monday win over Washington.
HERE’S GRANNY
Forward Mikael Granlund netted his first goal as a Shark in Saturday’s win against Vancouver, a highlight-reel marker to take a 3-2 lead in the third period’s opening minute. Granlund, acquired along with Mike Hoffman and Jan Rutta in the trade that sent Erik Karlsson to Pittsburgh over the summer, has posted six points (1g, 5a) in the past eight games, with a pair of multi-point efforts, finding his footing after missing seven games (Oct. 14 – Oct. 27) due to injury early in the season. Granlund added an assist in the Sharks’ Monday win against Washington, giving him points in consecutive games as the team hits the road.
HERT SO GOOD
Forward Tomáš Hertl leads the Sharks with 16 points (4g, 12a) on the year, most recently registering a pair of assists in Saturday’s win against Vancouver before missing Monday’s contest with an undisclosed injury and being held off the scoresheet in a shutout loss at Boston. Hertl posted back-to-back two-assist efforts (Nov. 24 and 25), passing Owen Nolan for sixth on the Sharks’ all-time multi-point games list (110). With his most recent marker, his fourth of the year, Hertl passed Nolan (206) for sole possession of fifth on the Sharks’ all-time goals list. He is two game-winning goals from tying Jonathan Cheechoo (36) for fifth on the team’s all-time GWG list. With his pair of helpers on Oct. 17, Hertl (453 points) surpassed Nolan (451) for sixth on San Jose’s all-time points list and moved beyond Jeff Friesen for eighth on the team’s all-time multi-assist games list (38), and his multi-helper game against Pittsburgh tied him with Erik Karlsson for seventh. Hertl entered 2023-24 after posting a career-best 41 assists in 2022-23, a season in which he tallied 63 points (22g, 41 a) in 72 games. It was the second time in his career that he hit the 20-goal plateau in consecutive seasons and the first since 2017-18 (22) and 2018-19 (35).
NEW JERSEY DEVILS NOTES:
CURRENT INJURIES/ILLNESS
PLAYER INJURY/Illness OUT SINCE GAMES MISSED
Timo Meier Lower-body Nov. 16 (suffered 11/14) 7
Tomas Nosek Upper-body Nov. 22 (suffered 11/18) 5
Erik Haula Lower-body Nov. 28 (suffered 11/25) 2
Dougie Hamilton Upper-body Nov. 30 (suffered 11/28) 1
2023-24 Total Man-Games Lost : 54
TRANSACTIONS
DATE PLAYER ACTION
11/29 Samuel Laberge Recalled from Utica (AHL)
The Week
The Devils are scheduled to play in three games this week, and visited Philadelphia Thursday night while hosting San Jose on Friday night.
Last Game
The Devils visited, and played, Philadelphia for the first time this season on Thursday night. The Devils improved to 3-1-0 when scoring first in a game this season. The Devils improved to 4-4-0 vs the Metropolitan Division in 2023-24. The Devils surrendered 25 shots in the second period, which marked the most shots that the team allowed in a period this season (Prior: 10/29 vs MIN, 2nd per., 17 SOG, 4-3, W). The Devils were outshot 47-35. The Devils improved to 3-6-0 when outshot by an opponent this season. The 47 shots against were the most that the Devils surrendered in 2023-24 (Prior, 35, Nov. 3, at STL). The Devils opened their fifth back-to-back set for 2023-24, and improved to 4-1-0 in first games played. The team is now 5-3-1 overall for back-to-back sets for the season. The team is now 2-0 for games decided in overtime in 2023-24. The Devils tied a season-high three-game winning streak (10/27-11/2).
Special Teams
PP: 1-5 | PK: 4-6
RECORD BY DIVISION/CONFERENCE:
MET: 4-4-0
ATL: 4-2-0
CEN: 3-3-1
PAC: 0-0-0
EAST: 8-6-0
WEST: 3-3-1
RECORD WHEN SCORING FIRST
Scoring first…4-1-0…Trailing first…7-8-1
BACK-TO-BACK GAME
Overall: 5-3-1
First game: 4-1-0 | home: 1-1-0 | road: 3-0-0
Second game: 1-2-1 | home: 1-1-1 | road: 0-1-0
New Jersey logged a 15-8-1 record in back-to-back games last season. The Devils were 6-5-1 in first half games played and 9-3-0 in second half games played for this matter in 2022-23.
