Some random thoughts and leftovers as the NHL playoffs are set to begin next week…
1 – I know the Sharks and coach Pete DeBoer have said they’d like home ice advantage for the first round - they kind of have to, don't they? - but at this point, I think they’re better off starting on the road. As we wrote here yesterday, this team is simply more resilient on the road than they are at SAP Center, for some odd reason that no one seems to be able to figure out. The one stat that really leaps off the page is their 9-8-2 record when allowing the first goal on the road, compared with 2-16-2 at home.