By the numbers: Game 64 vs. Pittsburgh
Scoring chances, zone entries, zone exits and more from the Sharks' 5-3 win over Pittsburgh on Thursday night.
Scoring Chances
Complete scoring chance summary
| Team | Period | Time | Note | Home | Away | State | ||||||||||
| Home | 1 | 17:56 | Torres breakaway from Wingels, save | 13 | 15 | 22 | 31 | 52 | 57 | 16 | 17 | 22 | 37 | 41 | 47 | 5v5 |
| Home | 1 | 17:55 | Torres rebound, save | 13 | 15 | 22 | 31 | 52 | 57 | 16 | 17 | 22 | 37 | 41 | 47 | 5v5 |
| Away | 1 | 16:54 | Crosby backhand off turnover, miss | 5 | 8 | 19 | 31 | 44 | 88 | 2 | 4 | 15 | 27 | 37 | 87 | 5v5 |
| Away | 1 | 16:32 | Kunitz breakaway off turnover, save | 8 | 19 | 22 | 31 | 52 | 88 | 2 | 4 | 14 | 37 | 49 | 87 | 5v5 |
| Home | 1 | 13:43 | Thornton off turnover, save | 10 | 19 | 27 | 31 | 61 | 81 | 2 | 4 | 15 | 27 | 37 | 57 | 5v5 |
| Home | 1 | 10:07 | Marleau from Pavelski, save (5v4 PP) | 8 | 12 | 19 | 22 | 31 | 39 | 4 | 15 | 16 | 37 | 44 | 5v4 | |
| Home | 1 | 10:05 | Pavelski rebound from Marleau, miss (5v4 PP) | 8 | 12 | 19 | 22 | 31 | 39 | 4 | 15 | 16 | 37 | 44 | 5v4 | |
| Home | 1 | 9:03 | Torres backhand from Wingels, miss (5v4 PP) | 5 | 13 | 31 | 52 | 57 | 88 | 3 | 27 | 37 | 41 | 49 | 5v4 | |
| Away | 1 | 7:48 | Crosby from Niskanen, miss | 8 | 19 | 27 | 31 | 61 | 88 | 2 | 14 | 22 | 37 | 47 | 87 | 5v5 |
| Away | 1 | 4:52 | Matta rebound from Glass, goal | 12 | 27 | 31 | 39 | 61 | 88 | 3 | 15 | 27 | 37 | 44 | 57 | 5v5 |
| Away | 1 | 3:40 | Kunitz from Malkin, goal (5v4 PP) | 27 | 31 | 37 | 57 | 61 | 2 | 14 | 18 | 37 | 71 | 87 | 4v5 | |
| Away | 2 | 18:31 | Neal from Malkin, save | 5 | 12 | 15 | 31 | 44 | 83 | 2 | 3 | 18 | 36 | 37 | 71 | 5v5 |
| Away | 2 | 17:52 | Malkin from Kunitz, save (5v4 PP) | 5 | 8 | 12 | 31 | 44 | 2 | 14 | 18 | 37 | 71 | 87 | 4v5 | |
| Home | 2 | 15:50 | Burns from Pavelski, miss | 8 | 13 | 22 | 31 | 52 | 88 | 3 | 16 | 17 | 22 | 37 | 47 | 5v5 |
| Away | 2 | 8:41 | Malkin from Neal on 2on1, save (4v4) | 8 | 31 | 52 | 61 | 83 | 2 | 18 | 37 | 47 | 71 | 4v4 | ||
| Home | 2 | 1:05 | Demers from Pavelski, save | 5 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 31 | 57 | 2 | 22 | 36 | 37 | 44 | 87 | 5v5 |
| Home | 3 | 19:40 | Marleau rebound from Boyle, save (5v4 PP) | 8 | 12 | 19 | 22 | 31 | 39 | 3 | 4 | 15 | 27 | 37 | 5v4 | |
| Home | 3 | 19:11 | Pavelski one-timer from Thornton, save (5v4 PP) | 8 | 12 | 19 | 22 | 31 | 39 | 2 | 4 | 15 | 16 | 37 | 5v4 | |
| Home | 3 | 14:43 | Marleau, goal (4v5 SH) | 5 | 12 | 27 | 31 | 57 | 14 | 18 | 37 | 47 | 71 | 87 | 4v5 | |
| Away | 3 | 14:22 | Maatta from Sutter, goal (5v4 PP) | 31 | 39 | 44 | 57 | 61 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 17 | 36 | 37 | 4v5 | |
| Home | 3 | 13:09 | Burns from Pavelski, goal (5v4 PP) | 5 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 31 | 88 | 4 | 14 | 37 | 44 | 49 | 87 | 5v5 |
| Home | 3 | 12:19 | Boyle rebound from Pavelski, save (5v4 PP) | 8 | 12 | 19 | 22 | 31 | 39 | 4 | 16 | 27 | 37 | 44 | 5v4 | |
| Home | 3 | 12:17 | Marleau rebound from Boyle, miss (5v4 PP) | 8 | 12 | 19 | 22 | 31 | 39 | 4 | 16 | 27 | 37 | 44 | 5v4 | |
| Home | 3 | 12:03 | Marleau from Thornton, save (5v4 PP) | 8 | 12 | 19 | 22 | 31 | 39 | 4 | 16 | 27 | 37 | 44 | 5v4 | |
| Home | 3 | 9:15 | Burns breakaway from Thornton, goalpost | 8 | 19 | 31 | 44 | 61 | 88 | 2 | 4 | 22 | 36 | 37 | 87 | 5v5 |
| Away | 3 | 6:59 | Crosby from Kunitz, miss | 12 | 19 | 31 | 44 | 61 | 88 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 22 | 37 | 87 | 5v5 |
| Home | 3 | 6:48 | Nieto from Marleau, miss | 5 | 12 | 27 | 31 | 39 | 83 | 3 | 4 | 22 | 36 | 37 | 71 | 5v5 |
| Away | 3 | 3:34 | Niskanen from Neal, save | 12 | 22 | 31 | 39 | 52 | 57 | 2 | 18 | 36 | 37 | 44 | 71 | 5v5 |
| Away | 3 | 1:35 | Sutter from Scuderi, save | 5 | 13 | 31 | 39 | 52 | 57 | 3 | 4 | 16 | 18 | 37 | 71 | 5v5 |
On-ice scoring chances, for and against
| # | Player | EV | PP | SH | ||||||
| 5 | DEMERS, JASON | 15:50 | 3 | 3 | 02:14 | 1 | 0 | 03:34 | 1 | 1 |
| 8 | PAVELSKI, JOE | 14:46 | 4 | 4 | 05:49 | 7 | 0 | 03:11 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | DESJARDINS, ANDREW | 04:31 | 1 | 0 | 00:00 | 0 | 0 | 01:30 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | MARLEAU, PATRICK | 14:23 | 1 | 4 | 05:49 | 7 | 0 | 02:29 | 1 | 1 |
| 13 | TORRES, RAFFI | 11:28 | 3 | 1 | 01:52 | 1 | 0 | 00:00 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | SHEPPARD, JAMES | 11:40 | 2 | 1 | 00:13 | 0 | 0 | 00:00 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | THORNTON, JOE | 14:31 | 4 | 4 | 05:49 | 7 | 0 | 00:00 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | BOYLE, DAN | 14:25 | 3 | 2 | 05:40 | 7 | 0 | 00:00 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | HANNAN, SCOTT | 14:49 | 4 | 2 | 00:00 | 0 | 0 | 02:36 | 1 | 1 |
| 31 | NIEMI, ANTTI | 8 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |||
| 37 | BURISH, ADAM | 05:01 | 0 | 0 | 00:00 | 0 | 0 | 01:21 | 0 | 1 |
| 39 | COUTURE, LOGAN | 14:20 | 1 | 3 | 05:33 | 7 | 0 | 01:54 | 0 | 1 |
| 44 | VLASIC, MARC-EDOUARD | 16:46 | 1 | 3 | 00:00 | 0 | 0 | 03:04 | 0 | 2 |
| 52 | IRWIN, MATT | 12:52 | 3 | 4 | 02:33 | 1 | 0 | 00:00 | 0 | 0 |
| 57 | WINGELS, TOMMY | 13:19 | 3 | 2 | 00:14 | 1 | 0 | 01:23 | 1 | 2 |
| 61 | BRAUN, JUSTIN | 17:38 | 2 | 4 | 00:06 | 0 | 0 | 02:34 | 0 | 2 |
| 81 | KENNEDY, TYLER | 06:46 | 1 | 0 | 00:13 | 0 | 0 | 00:00 | 0 | 0 |
| 83 | NIETO, MATT | 11:35 | 1 | 2 | 01:57 | 0 | 0 | 00:00 | 0 | 0 |
| 88 | BURNS, BRENT | 13:50 | 3 | 5 | 01:58 | 1 | 0 | 00:00 | 0 | 0 |
Team scoring chance totals
| Period | Totals | EV | 5v4 PP | 5v3 PP | 4v5 SH | 3v5 SH | ||||||
| 1 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Ovr | 17 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Head-to-head scoring chances
Generating eight shots in eight minutes of power play time is the performance of an upper-echelon 5-on-4 team. Generating eight scoring chances in eight minutes, as the Sharks did on Thursday night, is extremely impressive. That was the best the top unit has looked since the team's first-round sweep of Vancouver almost a year ago. More of that down the stretch and into the playoffs would be welcome. There weren't a ton of chances at even-strength in this game so it's hard to put too much stock into the individual numbers but I think the Couture line legitimately struggled five-on-five; they were matched up against Evgeni Malkin and he got the best of them. I love Matt Nieto but I don't think playing his off-wing on that line is the best place for him.
5v5 Zone Entries
| # | Player | Overall Entries | Shots Per Overall Entry | Controlled Entries | Shots Per Controlled Entry | % Of Entries With Control |
| 5 | DEMERS, JASON | 2 | 0.5 | 2 | 0.5 | 100 |
| 8 | PAVELSKI, JOE | 8 | 0.75 | 8 | 0.75 | 100 |
| 10 | DESJARDINS, ANDRE | 4 | 0.75 | 3 | 1 | 75 |
| 12 | MARLEAU, PATRICK | 5 | 0.4 | 5 | 0.4 | 100 |
| 13 | TORRES, RAFFI | 4 | 0.25 | 3 | 0.33 | 75 |
| 15 | SHEPPARD, JAMES | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 67 |
| 19 | THORNTON, JOE | 6 | 0.33 | 4 | 0.5 | 67 |
| 22 | BOYLE, DAN | 2 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 50 |
| 27 | HANNAN, SCOTT | 2 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 50 |
| 37 | BURISH, ADAM | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50 |
| 39 | COUTURE, LOGAN | 4 | 0.5 | 3 | 0.67 | 75 |
| 44 | VLASIC, MARC-EDOUARD | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 52 | IRWIN, MATT | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 57 | WINGELS, TOMMY | 6 | 0.33 | 3 | 0.67 | 50 |
| 61 | BRAUN, JUSTIN | 3 | 0.33 | 1 | 1 | 33 |
| 81 | KENNEDY, TLER | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 |
| 83 | NIETO, MATT | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100 |
| 88 | BURNS, BRENT | 5 | 0.4 | 1 | 1 | 20 |
| Sharks Overall | 62 | 0.45 | 40 | 0.65 | 65 | |
| Penguins Overall | 58 | 0.38 | 30 | 0.43 | 52 |
Just a monster game for Joe Pavelski on zone entries, in addition to almost every other facet of the game. Ironically, the one area I thought he struggled was the power play where the remainder of his unit was downright dominant. A 65% overall controlled zone entry rate is incredibly high given that the league average is around 48% and is likely the Sharks' best performance in this category all season. If the Sharks can play like this in the neutral zone on a consistent basis, there's no stopping them.
5v5 Zone Exits
| # | Player | Touches | In-Zone Passes | Carry-Outs | Pass-Outs | Turnovers | Icings | Overall Success % | Exit Success % |
| 5 | DEMERS, JASON | 13 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 15.5 | 30.0 |
| 8 | PAVELSKI, JOE | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 50.0 | 66.7 |
| 10 | DESJARDINS, ANDREW | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33.3 | 100.0 |
| 12 | MARLEAU, PATRICK | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50.0 | 66.7 |
| 13 | TORRES, RAFFI | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 75.0 |
| 15 | SHEPPARD, JAMES | 8 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50.0 | 80.0 |
| 19 | THORNTON, JOE | 11 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 45.5 | 57.1 |
| 22 | BOYLE, DAN | 11 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 54.5 | 66.7 |
| 27 | HANNAN, SCOTT | 12 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 41.7 | 66.7 |
| 37 | BURISH, ADAM | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 37.5 |
| 39 | COUTURE, LOGAN | 10 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 30.0 | 80.0 |
| 44 | VLASIC, MARC-EDOUARD | 19 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 21.1 | 40.0 |
| 52 | IRWIN, MATT | 12 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 50.0 | 75.0 |
| 57 | WINGELS, TOMMY | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| 61 | BRAUN, JUSTIN | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16.7 | 69.2 |
| 81 | KENNEDY, TYLER | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 33.3 | 60.0 |
| 83 | NIETO, MATT | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 16.7 | 83.3 |
| 88 | BURNS, BRENT | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 33.3 | 33.3 |
| Overall | 135 | 48 | 21 | 27 | 34 | 4 | 35.6 | 55.2 |
San Jose didn't spend a lot of time in the defensive zone in this game; credit their forwards for providing options and puck support to facilitate quick breakouts. James Sheppard in particular had a nice, understated game as the third-line center getting the puck moving in the right direction. Matt Irwin and Dan Boyle's shot differential numbers don't look great from this game but they did acquit themselves well in terms of exits, especially Irwin considering his recent struggles.