Home At Last
San Jose Sharks finally return to the Shark Tank after a long month of road games
After spending nearly the first quarter of their season on the road, the San Jose Sharks finally return home to SAP Center on Saturday Feb. 13 to face the Las Vegas Golden Knights.
In a condensed, 56-game National Hockey League (NHL) season, the Sharks have yet to play a home game. The first 12 games of their season were played against Western Division opponents across the nation, from Arizona to Minnesota, and most recently, back to Southern California to face familiar foes.
Playing as an away team in the NHL is a significant disadvantage. This season, road teams have emerged victorious just under 42% of the time. Due to COVID-19 protocols, a team traveling on the road must isolate in a hotel before playing their opponent in an empty arena, lacking energetic fans to bring any sense of normalcy. The Sharks have adapted to this lifestyle, as playing on the road has become the new reality for San Jose.
Due to Santa Clara County’s ban of contact sports back in February, no practices, meetings or games were permitted in San Jose’s facilities. To prepare for the season, the team moved their preseason training camp to Arizona. The league consequently altered the Sharks’ schedule to start their season on a two-week road trip. Until the team recently returned home for a practice, many San Jose players and staff were away from their families for nearly a month.
“I think more mentally than physically, it was tough,” team defenseman Erik Karlsson said on the time away from home. “Even for some of the guys that don’t have families or kids, you could tell that it’s hard to live out of hotels. You sit around and you’re alone a lot, which is something that we’re not really used to…You could definitely tell that it was a strain on guys.”
Already 11 games into the 2020-21 NHL season, the Sharks find themselves in all too familiar territory––at the bottom of the West. The Sharks 5-5-1 record has them standing seventh out of eight teams.
Coming off a last place finish in the Western Division, the Sharks know they cannot afford to dig themselves into another early season hole. In a shortened season, any type of losing streak can severely threaten a team’s playoff chances––there is not nearly enough time to recover. Head Coach Bob Boughner and his team may find themselves in sink-or-swim territory if the Sharks do not improve.
“In this new world without any fans, walking into an opposition’s building won’t be quite the same as it was before,” Boughner said. “This is a little more than I probably would have wished for, but I think it’s going to be a good thing for us.”
On a bright note, the Sharks have already played nearly half of their scheduled away games before they even play once at home.
If they want to move up in the standings, the opportunity to do so starts on Saturday against the division leaders. The Sharks have a chance to slay the Golden Knights and make a statement in the West.