Winning Play: Trust Karlsson & Burns

Hope comes in many forms.

For the San Jose Sharks, hope came today in the form of simply being able to go home:

The Road Trip Is Over: Feb. 1 and 3 Games Postponed, Sharks Return Home Tomorrow

Because Alex Pietrangelo and three Vegas Golden Knights coaches are in the NHL’s COVID protocol, the league has postponed San Jose’s Feb. 1 and 3 games against Vegas, originally scheduled to be played at Gila River Arena. For a road-weary Sharks squad, this will give them the unexpected opportunity to come back to San Jose for a brief respite. For most of the Sharks, this will be the first time that they’ve been at home since Dec. 30. Some have been on the road longer.

There were also — believe it or not — glimmers of offensive hope during last night’s 3-0 shutout loss to the Colorado Avalanche.

“Offensively,” Bob Boughner said, “it was one of the worst games of our road trip.”

Bob’s right, but regardless, Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns flashed the offensive potential that could eventually lead to sustainable scoring for the San Jose Sharks.