Sharks Open the Door, Flames Come Knocking in San Jose
Calgary brings a shaky road record to a Sharks team that keeps giving up more good looks than it creates
Written before the game
San Jose has no trouble finding the net's neighbourhood. The problem is what comes back the other way. Over their last 10 games the Sharks have created chances at a decent clip, but they have handed out far more good looks than they generate. That leak is the story of this tilt.
The evidence: San Jose's chances have been worth about 3.3 expected goals a night (expected goals measure how many goals a team's chances were worth), while opponents' chances have been worth 4.34. The shot attempts tell the same tale, with the Sharks giving up roughly 68.5 a game against 58.4 of their own. Only 4 wins in that stretch is no surprise.
Calgary has been close to even, creating a little less than it allows over its last 10, but the record hides a split: 5-3-0 at home and just 1-5-0 on the road, with a minus 16 goal difference.
For San Jose, tightening up means simply giving away fewer free looks in front of its own net. For Calgary, the opening is obvious: a Sharks team that bleeds chances is the kind of opponent that could end a road skid.
The standings add weight. San Jose (7-7-1, 15 points) sits tenth in the West; Calgary (6-8-0, 12 points) is twelfth. Both are still in the race, and both are coming off a loss.