SAN JOSE – On their original November calendar, the Sharks had practices scheduled for 11 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of this week. In between were home games against the Blue Jackets and Panthers on Tuesday and Thursday.
Turns out, they didn’t need the practice ice after all. On Friday, Pete DeBoer again gave his team the day off from putting on the equipment, the same as he did on Monday and Wednesday.
It’s about managing energy during a stretch in which there are five games in eight days, culminating in Saturday’s home tilt with the Anaheim Ducks, but the team’s injury situation hasn’t helped, either.
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“We’re a little short right now with bodies. We’re asking guys to play some big minutes for us,” DeBoer said. “The core of our group isn’t 24 or 25, the guys that we’re asking to play.
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“This is how we’ve decided to manage it, and then we’ll see whether we feel when we look back whether this is the right way to do it. I thought we had great legs last night. I’m hoping for the same thing tomorrow night, but that will be moving target going forward whether we continue to handle stretches like this in this way.”
There were a few guys on the ice Friday, but none of them played in the 5-2 win over Florida on Thursday. Mike Brown took some shots on goal wearing a face shield to protect his upper body injury and his status is in question for Saturday; Raffi Torres remains suspended but is skating, and goalie Martin Jones absorbed some rubber as he’s the likely starter in net against Anaheim.
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As for the rest of them, there was an off-ice workout and video session.
“To get guys more maintenance days where you get a workout in and a bike ride so you’re still getting some activity, and some stretching and meetings where you go over things – I think that can be beneficial with the grind of the season,” Paul Martin said.
Just like they were against the Panthers, who played on Wednesday night, the Sharks should again be the more rested team heading into Saturday’s Ducks game. Anaheim is hosting Columbus on Friday night.
The Sharks shut out the Ducks in their home opener on Oct. 10, 2-0. Anaheim is in 28th place in the NHL with a 3-7-2 record, including a league-worst 1.33 goals-per game.
“You have to expect a bigger, better effort from them tomorrow,” Martin said. “We’ll have to make sure that we match or have a better intensity, especially in our own rink and come out and set the tone early and make sure that we’re ready to play.”
Headed into Friday, Anaheim has won its last two. The Sharks are still searching for their first back-to-back wins since the first four games of the season, and they’ll get a chance again on Saturday.
At 7-6-0, the Sharks could certainly use more points in these next two home games, including Tuesday’s game with the Islanders. A six-game road trip, including a pair of back-to-backs, starts on Nov. 13 in Detroit.
“It’s early, and I think sometimes you just play and you forget that these are important points,” Martin said. “You want to put yourself in a good position to not have to be as desperate down the stretch.”