(Sportsbooks) - The San Jose Sharks' incredible start to the season has been matched just once in league history. The club looks to extend that start tonight versus the Columbus Blue Jackets, a team it has dominated at HP Pavilion.
The Sharks 5-2 victory over Toronto on Tuesday improved their record to 21-3-1 this season and they lead the NHL with 43 points. Only the 1943-44 Montreal Canadiens, led by Maurice "Rocket" Richard, have posted as many points (43) over the first 25 games in league history, going 20-2-3 on the way to a 38-5-7 overall record and their fifth Stanley Cup title.
In Tuesday's record-tying win, the Sharks scored four goals in the first period, with Joe Thornton factoring in on all the tallies. Thornton had a goal and three assists in the frame to tie a franchise record for most points in a period.
Thornton will hit another franchise milestone tonight, as he will play in his 248th straight game with the Sharks once he hits the ice. He is currently tied with Vincent Damphousse for the team's all-time ironman mark.
Devin Setoguchi, Dan Boyle, Joe Pavelski and Marc-Edouard Vlasic also scored for the red-hot Sharks, who won their season-high eighth consecutive game. Evgeni Nabokov made 29 saves in the victory, which came against former coach and current Toronto head coach Ron Wilson. Wilson was fired this past offseason and is the team's all-time leader in wins with 206.
The Sharks haven't won nine straight games since their club-record 11-game win streak set from February 21-March 14 of last season with Wilson at the helm.
San Jose won the opener of its season-high five-game homestand and remains the only team in the NHL without a regulation loss at home this season (13-0-1).
That likely won't change tonight, as the Sharks are 14-0-1 all-time at home versus Columbus, with the lone blemish being a 3-2 overtime loss on January 8, 2004. That includes a 5-2 win at HP Pavilion over the Blue Jackets on October 14, their fourth straight overall against Columbus.
Nabokov is 15-4-0 with a 1.66 goals against average and three shutouts lifetime versus the Blue Jackets.
Columbus will have something it didn't have in that last meeting though -- goaltender Steve Mason. Mason was selected as the top rookie for November after going 5-2-1 with a 2.09 GAA and two shutouts in eight starts during the month.
He didn't slow down to start December, making 30 saves in Monday's 3-2 win over Vancouver. Tonight will mark his first-career start versus the Sharks.
Kristian Huselius scored the game-winning goal with 4:44 left in the third period and assisted on another score in the win. Andrew Murray and Fredrik Modin also scored for the Blue Jackets, who won their second straight game after posting just two wins over their previous seven games. Rick Nash notched two assists.
The Blue Jackets begin a three-game road trip tonight against Pacific Division residents. They are 4-5-2 as the visiting team this year and will also face Los Angeles and Anaheim on the trek.
