SAN JOSE – It's perfectly understandable that Erik Karlsson likely wanted to put his first game against the Senators in the rearview mirror. All the emotion and the “the time is nigh” shenanigans no doubt turned the noise surrounding the December 1 match in Ottawa up to 11.
“Those kinds of things can weigh on your mind, even when they aren’t at the front of your mind,” teammate Evander Kane said on January 8. “I think it was a good thing for him to put behind him -- and he’s playing some great hockey.”
Kane isn’t kidding.