Sharks vs. Devils: 3 things you need to know
West Coast meets East Coast when the San Jose Sharks battle the New Jersey Devils on Saturday in the first of two meetings this season.
The Sharks haven't lost in regulation through their first four games, while the Devils had a three-game win streak snapped by the Washington Capitals on Thursday.
Here are three things you need to know:
Home, Sweet Home
The Devils are the only team in the NHL that has yet to play a home game this season and they'll finally play in front of their fans in Newark on Saturday.
New Jersey has lost four of its last five home openers. The Devils' 21-11-9 record at home in 2013-14 trailed only the Pittsburgh Penguins for the best home record in the Metropolitan Division.
The Sharks play six of their first seven games on the road and Saturday's matchup with the Devils is the third game of a five-game road swing that concludes with contests against the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins.
Corsi Says No, But the Scoresheet Says Yes
Both the Devils and Sharks rank among the 10 worst teams in even-strength Corsi For percentage, albeit with a very small sample size.
Here are the league's bottom-feeders, from 20th to 30th.
(Courtesy: War-On-Ice.com)
They may not be generating many shot attempts or dominating possession, but the Devils and Sharks are tied for fourth in the league in goals per game at 3.75.
What can we glean from these very early numbers? Take them with a grain of salt, but these are two efficient teams that have made the most of their limited scoring chances so far.
Friends of the Devil
The Sharks don't get to face the Devils often, but San Jose's three best point producers really enjoy doing it.
Joe Thornton is averaging over a point per game against New Jersey in his career, while Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski are nearly at that pace themselves.
Thornton (18 goals and 26 assists in 36 games), Marleau (eight goals and eight assists in 20 games) and Pavelski (three goals and four assists in nine games) have all excelled against the Devils.