The San Jose Sharks host the Vancouver Canucks in the second half of the current home and home. The Sharks earned a 3-1 win back in Vancouver and look to make it two in a row tonight. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. San Jose is facing a potentially season defining stretch with three games left, all at home. If they have any plans of finishing strong they may have to do it without the aid of Joe Thornton or Logan Couture. Jumbo limped off the ice in Vancouver and Couture is already on the shelf. There are no time tables for a return for either and if the Sharks begin the playoffs with their top two centers out or less than healthy it's going extinguish any Cup hopes.
The Sharks have plenty of young talent but the duo of Couture and Thornton are among the NHL's elite in terms of what they mean to the team. Couture is a spark-plug for the Sharks and a special teams specialist. Couture has battled injuries in the past and San Jose found a way to move on without him, but Thornton? That's a whole new wrinkle. Jumbo Joe is a fixture in all things positive for the offense. His ability to make space and find open players is almost inhuman and cannot be replaced. At least not by anybody currently in the system. San Jose is already struggling through a 2-8 stretch. It's been so bad that the third place Sharks coughed up a nine-point lead in the Pacific Division in less than two weeks. What a shame. During San Jose's run towards the Cup Final last season it was their strength up the middle that guided them to within two wins of the franchise's first championship. Expect Pete Deboer to juggle lines in an effort to find a mix that works.
As I mentioned above, tonight marks the start of a three-game home stand to complete the regular season schedule. San Jose welcomes Edmonton and then Calgary to close things out. The Sharks can win two in a row for the first time since February if they can solve Vancouver again. There is a chance. San Jose has won four-straight against the Canucks and will complete the season sweep with a "W".
Thanks for reading, Steve