San Jose resumes play Saturday night at Vancouver following its league-mandated five-day break from games and practices. The Sharks have to like where they’re sitting, leading the Pacific Division with two games in hand over both Edmonton and Anaheim, the only two teams with a chance to challenge.
There’s been much debate about whether the new mini hiatus is benefiting or hurting teams this season — the early returns indicate the latter. Only four of the 20 teams that have taken their breaks so far have won their first game back. And the Sharks are trying to become only the third team — along with Boston (at San Jose) and Toronto — to win in their first post-break game on the road.