The San Jose Sharks face the Los Angeles Kings with both teams heading in opposite directions this season. The Sharks have a 12 21 8 record which is second-worst in the Pacific Division while the Kings have a 24-14-6 record and with seven wins in their last ten games have jumped into second place in the division. Both teams look to improve within the division and the Western Conference and the upcoming game looks to be a good one as a result.
The Sharks are having a rough season despite their offense stepping up and scoring 3.05 goals per game. Logan Couture, Timo Meier, and Tomas Hertl have scored 51 goals and 59 assists to lead the top two lines but the rest of the offense has also stepped up. Alexander Barabanov, Kevin Labanc, and Matthew Nieto have combined for 22 goals and 40 assists while defenseman Erik Karlsson has added 13 goals and 41 assists from the point to help open up the offense.
The offense has been great but the defense has let the Sharks down this season, allowing 3.68 goals per game. Erik Karlsson and Jaycob Megna have combined for 3.9 defensive point shares but the rest of the unit has struggled, allowing opponents to find open shots on the net at will. Additionally, goaltender James Reimer has struggled in the net with a .895 save percentage and a 3.22 goals-against average on 679 shots.