October did not go as planned for the Pittsburgh Penguins. After a roster revamp that saw ten new players on the 2023-24 opening night roster from a year prior, including former San Jose Shark Erik Karlsson, expectations were high. The offense was expected to click, and they were supposed to be well on their way to returning to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Instead, they find themselves with a 3-6-0 record, and they are currently eighth in the Atlantic Division and dead last in the Eastern Conference standings.
In their last game on Monday (Oct. 30), the Penguins hoped to get back on track against the Anaheim Ducks on home ice. They did hold two leads in the game but couldn’t hold on. The Ducks tied the game early in the third period and eventually won the game 4-3 when Mason McTavish left the penalty box and scored a breakaway shorthanded goal with 13 seconds left in regulation. That they couldn’t capitalize on a 5-on-3 power play only made matters worse for the Penguins, and both Evgeni Malkin and Tristan Jarry owned the mistakes on the play and apologized.
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Tonight (Nov. 4), the Penguins visit the Sharks, another team off to a slow start. Unlike the Penguins, however, expectations were not high for the Sharks. But even though they expected this rebuilding season to land them with a draft lottery pick, they did not expect to start 0-9-1. With the Sharks facing possibly the worst record in NHL history, the Penguins are looking to turn things around.
Setting the Stage: Lineups, Injuries & Stats
The biggest lineup shakeup so far in this young season has been this past week with Jeff Carter taking the 8th defenseman spot in practice, pairing with Pierre-Olivier Joseph. This likely signals he will be a healthy scratch against the Sharks. The fourth line is now Matt Nieto, Noel Acciari, and Vinnie Hinostroza.
Injuries
- Penguins: Mark Pysyk (lower body, injured reserve), Will Butcher (undisclosed, injured reserve), John Ludvig (concussion, Ludvig is OUT indefinitely with a concussion, per CapFriendly), Alex Nedeljkovic (lower body, the Penguins placed Nedeljkovic on injured reserve)
- Sharks: Alexander Barabanov (finger, the Sharks placed Barabanov on injured reserve), Matt Benning (undisclosed, the Sharks placed Benning on injured reserve), Logan Couture (lower body, the Sharks placed Couture on injured reserve), Mitchell Russell (undisclosed, the Sharks placed Russell on injured reserve), Kaapo Kähkönen (Kähkönen is questionable for Saturday’s (11/04) game against Pittsburgh)
Interesting Stats and Facts
- Karlsson has scored in clumps and been more off than not so far this season. Of his two goals and six points through nine games, he scored a goal and an assist against the Ducks to go with a goal and two assists against the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 18. Against the Sharks, he has played well, with five goals and 15 points in 13 games.
- Despite the team’s struggles, both Malkin and Sidney Crosby continue to produce, with 11 and 10 points through nine games, respectively. Malkin scored a goal and an assist against the Ducks, while Crosby added an assist. Neither is at a point-per-game versus the Sharks, however, with Malkin scoring nine goals and 17 points in 21 games and Crosby picking up 15 assists and 19 points in 21 outings.
- For the Sharks, little has gone well. Tomáš Hertl leads the team with five points through ten games. Against the Penguins, he has nine goals in 16 games.
- Arguably the Sharks best forward so far, Fabian Zetterlund, has three goals, including the lone tally in the 10-1 blowout loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Nov. 2.
- Coming into tonight, Tristan Jarry has a 2-5-0 record with a 2.84 goals against average (GAA) and .893 save percentage (SV%). He was not sharp on either of McTavish’s goals against the Ducks. Against the Sharks, he has gone 0-1-1 with a 3.94 goals-against average (GAA) and a .875 save percentage SV% in two games.
- For the Sharks, Mackenzie Blackwood has done his best to keep the team in games but enters tonight with a 0-5-1 record, a 4.17 GAA, and a .895 SV% in seven games. Backup Kaapo Kähkönen is likely to be unavailable tonight.
Penguins vs. Sharks Storylines
Though the Penguins are still looking for more offense outside of Crosby, Malkin, Jake Guentzel, and Reilly Smith, there may be murmurs finally. Lars Eller and Drew O’Connor both picked up assists against the Ducks, and Radim Zohorna scored his second of the year in five games. Not bad for a guy who started the year in the AHL.
The Sharks, however, are stuck in a nightmare season. Though he has picked up two goals through ten games, Filip Zadina has been victimized for a minus-12 rating. But it certainly isn’t all on the former Red Wing. Mario Ferraro, Anthony Duclair, and Kyle Burroughs are each a minus-10. This team could end up being mid-70s Kansas City Scouts bad.
Related: Penguins Need to Switch Up Their System
Both the Penguins and the Sharks are looking to avoid humiliation in this first of two meetings this season. It would be humiliating for the Penguins to lose to a 0-9-1 team, and it would also be humiliating for the Sharks to continue to be winless against a team that can’t figure out its own scoring problems. Puck drops at 10:00 PM EST.