^{Utah looks to extend its one game unbeaten streak}
Not even two weeks ago, the Sharks came to town, as the teams finalized rosters in the last preseason game. Utah ended up winning 6-4. Tonight, however, the game actually counts.

San Jose’s flight here to Utah is a little tougher this time, as they bring a bit of extra baggage to the Delta Center. Playing just 3 games so far – all at The Tank – the least tested team in the league is off to a difficult 0-1-2 start. This includes two tough overtime losses; the first to Vegas on opening night (4-3), and the second a crazy 7-6 loss to the Ducks. That game featured multiple multi-goal leads that the Sharks eventually relinquished with less than a minute to play, with the dagger coming within a minute of OT. To close their home stretch, the fish lost a 5-1 game against a very tough Carolina squad.

San Jose is hungry for their first win, which can be a dangerous situation for Utah to face. Last year, after starting the season out with 9 losses, the Sharks came back from a 4-1 deficit against Utah for their first win. This included 3 goals in a span of 2 minutes late in the third period, as San Jose put up over 40 shots to down the (then) Utah Hockey Club.

Utah looks for a complete opposite outcome from last year, which isn’t an easy a task as it seems. San Jose has not had a problem scoring so far, putting up 10 goals in 3 games… but giving up 16 in that span. Utah, on the other hand, is the complete opposite, as we’ve only scored 8 goals so far, but have given up half the goals the Sharks have in one fewer game.

Something has to give – will San Jose’s scoring prowess continue against Utah’s tough defense? Will Utah’s slow offensive start break through on San Jose’s porous defense and goaltending? Vegas has the over/under at 6.5 goals tonight, so it we could be in for a wild ride.

Key points to secure a victory tonight:

Minimize the Sharks offense, especially their power play. San Jose is currently posting nearly a 25% PP success rate, so neutralizing them on special teams will be critical for a Utah team struggling to put up more than 2 goals a game.

The Sharks have 9 players with a goal on the season, and superstar-in-the-making Macklin Celebrini hasn’t even had one of those. He’s tied for the lead with 3 points on the team with other potential star Will Smith, and veteran Dmitry Orlov, each providing 3 apples on the year.

Capitalize on power play chances. Do I even need to harp on this? We’re posting awful stats on the PP this year. San Jose has posted terrible stats on the PK this year. Someone’s going to have a stat improvement – unless the teams stay out of the box all night.

This is the third consecutive team that has had lower than an 80% PK rate, so it’s a good chance for Utah to finally do some damage and get their confidence back here. 1 for 16 isn’t sustainable, but it’s a question of what’s going to change.

Spicy Tuna Returns. Cole Bagley reported that Liam O’Brien will be in the lineup, replacing Kailer Yamamoto. While this is definitely a big drop in skill, the physicality against the Sharks will be very welcome. Besides, if O’Brien can score a goal at the Delta Center, Ryan Smith will save a lot of money on construction costs, as the fans will destroy the facility in celebration.

Will O’Briens physicality and Tanev’s speed and aggression be a major factor tonight?

Expected Lineup:
No information available from the NHL as of time of this writing, but the assumptions are:

Game time 7 PM local.

TUSKS UP!