There haven’t been many positives about the Sharks with the first month of the regular season now behind them, but here’s one: Their combined power-play and penalty-kill percentages is an impressive 114.8 (the power play is 10th in the league at 24.4 percent, while the top-ranked penalty kill is at 90.4 percent).



That total, a metric that has gained popularity in recent years, is the best in the league. It’s 1/10th of a percentage point higher than the Bruins, owners of the NHL’s best record.



So they’ve got that going for them. Which is nice.



“You want all aspects of your game going, but right now those are two good spots,” Patrick Marleau said on Thursday. “The special teams are working.”



There is, of course, another way to look at that number. Despite a power play that’s scoring goals and a penalty kill that’s preventing them, the Sharks have just a 4-8-1 record. October is...