SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 16: San Jose Sharks’ Timo Meier (28) can’t get the puck previous Vancouver Canucks’ goaltender Thatcher Demko (35) within the third interval on the SAP Middle in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Space Information Group)
SAN JOSE – The Sharks’ revised sport schedule for February was introduced Wednesday and the staff will play 4 rescheduled video games subsequent month through the time that was initially devoted to a three-week Olympic break.
Following a 12-day break, the Sharks will now have house video games with Edmonton, Vancouver, and Vegas on Feb. 14, 17 and 20, respectively, and can journey to play Anaheim on Feb. 22.
Nonetheless, whereas the Sharks are actually slated to play 36 video games over the common season’s last 75 days, they gained’t be as busy as different groups additionally chasing a playoff spot within the Western Convention. Groups like Edmonton and Calgary, who're proper behind the fourth-place Sharks within the Pacific, will every play 40 video games over the ultimate 11 weeks of the season.
“It’s a pleasant break for us and it’s a wanted one. Some guys are a bit banged up,” Sharks coach Bob Boughner stated, “A whole lot of groups aren’t going to get the benefit that now we have of getting nine-10 days proper off, and I believe that’s going to assist us for our second-half push.”
The Sharks’ video games with the Canucks and Oilers had been initially imagined to be performed Dec. 21 and 23, respectively, at SAP Middle. However each video games had been postponed over considerations that visiting gamers or staff workers members from Canada may check constructive for COVID-19 within the U.S. simply earlier than the Christmas break and never be allowed to return house for the vacation.
The Sharks had been imagined to play in Anaheim on Dec. 27 however that sport, and all video games that day, had been postponed by the NHL over COVID-related considerations as a number of groups had been coping with outbreaks.
San Jose was initially imagined to host the Golden Knights on April 10, someday after taking part in in Vancouver, however the schedule change eliminates what would have been a difficult back-to-back situation.
Tickets to the Dec. 21, 23, and April 10 video games will nonetheless be honored on the rescheduled dates, a Sharks spokesman stated.
The Sharks’ final sport earlier than the NHL all-star break is Feb. 1 in Tampa Bay, that means they’ll have shut to 2 weeks to prepare for the unofficial second half of the season.
The Sharks (21-17-2) nonetheless have scheduled house video games subsequent month in opposition to the New York Islanders, Boston, and Seattle on Feb. 24, 26, and 27, respectively, adopted by 14 video games in March, and 15 video games in April to complete the common season.
With COVID-19 wreaking havoc on its schedule, inflicting dozens of postponements, the NHL introduced on Dec. 22 that it might not enable league gamers to take part within the Winter Olympics in Beijing. The league initially had a three-week break in its calendar to permit for participation however wanted that point to reschedule the 50 video games that had already been postponed by Dec. 23.
San Jose additionally owned the second wild-card spot within the Western Convention as of early Wednesday. The Sharks end the week with a sport in Seattle on Thursday and a house sport Saturday with the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Sharks then begin a troublesome four-game street journey subsequent with video games in opposition to Washington, Florida, Carolina, and Tampa Bay earlier than their prolonged break begins.
“Once you’re taking part in nicely, you virtually wish to maintain taking part in since you’re rolling, the staff’s confidence, and issues are clicking,” Boughner stated. “However I don’t assume it’ll be that onerous to get that again after the break as a result of we’ll be contemporary.”
The Sharks have a number of gamers who common no less than 17 minutes of ice time per sport. Certainly one of them, defenseman Erik Karlsson, is dealing “with a minor problem” that Boughner requires upkeep days, together with preserving him out of sure practices.
Different heavy minute gamers embrace defensemen Brent Burns and Mario Ferraro and forwards Logan Couture, Tomas Hertl, and Timo Meier.
“We play our huge guys a variety of minutes, and it’s good to offer these guys a psychological break, which is simply as vital because the bodily break,” Boughner stated.
“Different groups received to play and you understand what occurs whenever you’re taking part in each different day. There are harm considerations, there are fatigue considerations and we’re coming again contemporary. So I’m taking a look at it as a constructive factor, and it may well solely assist us hopefully in our push.”