Statistical Analysis

Sharks vs. Wild: By the numbers

A look at the numbers behind the Sharks' 6-1 win over Minnesota.

Player	TOI	Corsi For	Corsi Against	Corsi +/-	Chances For	Chances Against	Chances +/-
Jason Demers	15.7	16	17	-1	1	3	-2
Brad Stuart	22.2	21	25	-4	3	3	+0
Joe Pavelski	16.1	14	14	+0	3	3	+0
Martin Havlat	14.1	14	17	-3	6	2	+4
Andrew Desjardins	14.3	11	12	-1	0	0	+0
Patrick Marleau	15.5	14	21	-7	6	2	+4
Raffi Torres	15.9	13	12	+1	3	3	+0
Joe Thornton	13.1	14	16	-2	1	2	-1
T.J. Galiardi	14.4	15	15	+0	1	2	-1
Dan Boyle	19.5	23	20	+3	5	2	+3
Scott Gomez	12.9	11	11	+0	0	0	+0
Adam Burish	15.2	14	13	+1	1	0	+1
Logan Couture	15.8	13	18	-5	6	2	+4
Marc-Edouard Vlasic	20.3	9	18	-9	0	2	-2
Matt Irwin	19.3	22	20	+2	5	2	+3
Tommy Wingels	16.0	11	12	-1	3	3	+0
Justin Braun	20.8	13	18	-5	2	2	+0
Brent Burns	13.4	12	16	-4	0	2	-2
Team	58.9	52	59	-7	10	7	+3

After a pair of high-event games against Phoenix and Los Angeles, the Sharks settled back into a typical low-event affair with few chances by either club. This time, though, San Jose was able to convert on half of the scoring chances they created.
Score effects loom large in the Sharks' negative shot differential; San Jose was actually +10 in Corsi while Niklas Backstrom was in in net and minus-17 during Darcy Kuemper's brief stint between the pipes, mostly on the strength of Wild shots from the outside.
After decisively losing his matchup with Mikko Koivu the last time these teams met at the Tank, Logan Couture had a whale of a game through two periods against Minnesota's No. 1 center, effectively controlling territory and setting up both of Martin Havlat's goals at evens.
Jason Demers played just over a minute in the third period (although he figured in on Joe Pavelski's goal, initiating a terrific-looking breakout) and never took the ice over the final 15 minutes of the game. I'm not sure why, although he and Stuart haven't been the greatest over the past two games./