The San Jose Sharks face the Ottawa Senators with both teams hoping to improve from rough starts to the season. The Sharks have an 8-14-4 record and are near the bottom of the Pacific Division. The Senators have an 8-13-1 record and are in last place in the Atlantic Division. Both teams are looking to climb out of the bottom of their divisions and make a push for playoff position, making the upcoming game a pivotal one for both teams.
The Sharks are having a rough season with their offense struggling and scoring only 2.92 goals per game. Timo Meier, Logan Couture, and Tomas Hertl have scored 32 goals and 37 assists while Erik Karlsson is adding 11 goals and 21 assists from the point but the rest of the offense has struggled. Only four skaters have scored seven goals or more while only six skaters have added nine assists or more and opposing defenses can eliminate the top-heavy offense as a result.
The offense has struggled but the defense has let the Sharks down this season, allowing 3.42 goals per game with 20 goals in the last five games. Erik Karlsson and Jaycob Megna have combined for 2.8 defensive point shares and 60 blocked shots but the rest of the unit has struggled, allowing opponents to carry the puck into the offensive zone and find open shots on the net. In addition, goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen has struggled in the net with a .884 save percentage and a 3.43 goals-against average on 292 shots