The San Jose Sharks are back on the ice Wednesday night. They will host the Ottawa Senators following a four-day hiatus from live game action.

It's San Jose's first game since a 2-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens last Friday night and it feels like an eon ago.

The 15-9-1 Sharks have won six of seven and are in search of a season-high fourth straight victory. Win tonight and they hurdle the Edmonton Oilers for the top spot in the Pacific. Yes, the Oilers are back in the saddle again despite losing two in a row.

With a four days between games,head coach Pete Deboer thought it would behoove his weary team to have the weekend off. A rarity in the NHL, but much needed considering the Sharks are coming off a a rigorous portion of the schedule that had them playing 10 games in 18 nights. Remember, a good chunck on these guys are no longer spring chickens.

Let's hope it pays off because the Sharks are about to play nine games in the next 16 nights against the likes of Chicago, Edmonton, Anaheim, Ottawa (x2) and Montreal.

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Logan Couture is a bit hobbled after a minor surgical procedure to have one of six screws removed from his ankle. The screws are a result of a surgery in October 2015 to repair his broken leg.

Losing Couture will be a big blow to the Sharks offense. When they have been 'off,' he has been 'on.' Couture has six goals in the last nine games and is third on the team in scoring with 16 points.
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Martin Jones was named the NHL's third star last week. Jones went 3-0 allowing just a single goal in each game.

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The Senators are 15-9-2 for 32 points and sit in second place in the Atlantic Division. They enter the game with San Jose with an extra bit of motivation following an embarrassing 8-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night.

Starting goalie Craig Andersen was abused for seven goals on 43 shots. Anderson didn't make the trip with the team. He stayed behind to be with his wife as she battles throat cancer. Mike Condon will get the start between the pipes and Andrew Hammond will be his back-up.

Condon in 3-1-1 with a .945 SV% and 1.62 GAA in seven appearances this season. BTW, two of his wins game via the shutout.

The Senators are playing the first leg of the dreaded California trip. After tonight's game in San Jose they head down the I-5 for back-to-back games in Los Angeles and Anaheim on Saturday and Sunday.

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Thanks for reading,
Steve

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