How many points do the Sharks pick up in Columbus?
The San Jose Sharks are in Columbus, Ohio as they prepare to face off against the Columbus Blue Jackets in a matinee game on Saturday. The Sharks will be looking to snap a six-game losing streak, but they're going to be facing one of the hottest teams in the NHL which makes that very difficult.
Since moving on from head coach Dean Evason, the Blue Jackets have been dominant under new bench boss Rick Bowness. Columbus has gone 19-4-4 since Bowness took over in January and they've added more reinforcements since his hiring.
Mason Marchment has been very productive since joining the Blue Jackets, scoring 13 goals and 10 assists in his first 30 games with the team. Conor Garland has been dangerous as well after joining the Blue Jackets at the Trade Deadline, scoring five goals in his first 11 games with Columbus.
On the blue line, Zach Werenski has become one of the NHL's premier puck-moving defensemen over the past few seasons. During his current campaign, he's scored 21 goals and 56 assists for a team-leading 77 points in just 65 games.
Werenski's defense partner Damon Severson is out of the Blue Jackets' lineup for the time being though, so the Sharks will be playing a weakened defensive group.
Two Sharks will be returning to their home state for their first time in their new organization. The recently extended Kiefer Sherwood is a Columbus native and Alex Nedeljkovic, who will likely start in goal, grew up a couple hours north of Columbus in Parma, Ohio.
The Sharks will need to take advantage of power play opportunities, as the Blue Jackets' have the 21st ranked penalty kill in the league. If they're able to score on the man advantage when given the opportunity, it could easily be a major difference maker for the team in teal.