For the second time in three nights, the Columbus Blue Jackets will host one of the National Hockey League’s biggest early-season surprises.

But unlike Wednesday, when Columbus skated to a 2-2 against an undefeated Tampa Bay Lightning team that has taken the league by storm, the Blue Jackets will welcome the beleaguered San Jose Sharks into Nationwide Arena tonight – a squad that was considered a Stanley Cup contender before the season.

It would have taken a bold prognosticator to dream up a scenario in which the Lightning (27-40-11 last season, missing the playoffs) would be undefeated, including a 5-1 win over defending Eastern Conference champion Carolina, and the Sharks (Pacific Division champions last season) would be 1-4-0 and in a tailspin.

The Jackets meanwhile are hovering around .500 with a record of 2-3-1. But after making off-season deals to boost both their offense and defense, as well as selecting 6-foot-4-inch, 18-year-old forward Rick Nash with the first pick in the draft, Columbus has reason to believe it has improved.

Nash is paying immediate dividends, as the Brampton, Ontario, native scored in his first NHL game on his second-ever shot against Chicago. His offensive skills could be a real boon for Columbus, which finished near the bottom of the NHL in scoring last season.

“We’ve got new players this season and our work ethic is more consistent,” said Columbus forward Ray Whitney. “If you bring in better personnel and have a better work ethic, it will translate into more success.”

All is not completely rosy though, as Columbus still has concerns about starting goaltender Marc Denis. Despite making several impressive point-blank saves against Tampa, he allowed the tying goal on a soft shot when Dave Andreychuk wristed a puck that popped out of Denis’ glove and into the net.

“Really, we should probably win the game. We are up 2-0. We get one more and this game is over,” said Blue Jackets coach Dave King. “We had some good chances to make it 3-0, and we didn’t.”

The Sharks and their coach Darryl Sutter are not panicking, seeing their team defense, ranked 27th out of 30 NHL teams as a problem that they need to solve.

“I think this has been pretty consistent with every game other than the one game versus Edmonton,” Sutter said. “I think that our defensive commitment just isn’t there on a shift-to-shift basis.

“We can’t control who the players are on the ice. But the players as a whole need to make a better commitment to play better defense.”

San Jose is led this year by forwards Vincent Damphousse and Marco Sturn with six points apiece. Columbus is the second stop on a six-game road trip that includes a stop at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena to play the defending Stanley Cup champion Red Wings.

The Jackets are in the midst of a four game homestand and will host to the Los Angeles Kings Sunday. The Kings have outscored the Blue Jackets 20-7 at home all-time.