Capitals hope to become first team to score on Sharks this season

Should the Washington Capitals score a goal against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday, they’ll be the first team to do so this season.

The Sharks’ consecutive shutouts, first of Los Angeles and then against Winnipeg, marked only the seventh time in league history that a team has entered its third game without having allowed a goal. (Coincidentally, Minnesota has also done it this season.)

It’s also notable considering the Sharks have had two different goaltenders accomplish that feat. Antii Niemi, who turned away 34 shots in a 4-0 road victory over the Kings on Thursday, became the first goaltender since 1941 to shut out the defending Stanley Cup champions in their season opener. Alex Stalock then had 30 saves on Sunday, when San Jose defeated the Jets, 3-0, in their first game at home.

“They play a full team game,” said Capitals right wing Eric Fehr. “They’re one of the better teams in the league. They don’t spend a lot of time in their D-zone. They’ve got a lot of D-men that can move the puck, and it makes it difficult to forecheck, so it’s gonna be an interesting game for us.”

San Jose’s defense is a big factor in the goaltenders’ success through two games. Center Brooks Laich said the unit rarely allows second looks and does a very good job cleaning out the front of the net, forcing teams to capitalize when an opportunity develops.

The Sharks also like to get their defensemen involved in the rush, which was evident in the game against the Jets when top-liner Marc-Edouard Vlasic scored 3:22 into the first period with a wrister from just inside the blue line.

Niemi, who owns a 4-0-2 record, a 1.77 goals-against average and a .936 save percentage against the Capitals in his career, will get the start on Tuesday night as San Jose kicks off a five-game East Coast road trip.

“They’re a veteran group,” Laich said. “They’ve been together for a long time, most of them, and they’re very well-coached. Then special teams, the power play struggled against Winnipeg, but they get a lot of shots. They look to shoot the puck. They don’t give you much defensively and they’ve got good goaltending, so for us, it’s a big challenge.”