SAN JOSE -- As the calendar turned to 2019, NBC Sports California took a gander at how the Sharks were looking at the halfway point of the season. While it was clear they had grown and improved over their first 41 games, there was still a question as to how they matched up against some of the toughest teams in the NHL.
On Saturday night, San Jose brought that conversation to the forefront.
Entering their matchup with the league-leading Tampa Bay Lightning, the Sharks knew they would be without three starting defensemen, although Jacob Middleton had been called up from the Barracuda just that morning.