Headed into the final 25 games of the season, the Sharks are in a familiar place, but under unfamiliar circumstances.
San Jose leads the Pacific Division 57 games into its season for the second time in four years under coach Peter DeBoer. That’s yet to translate into a division crown, but the team has been in this spot at this point in the season before.
The rest of the Pacific? Well, it’s a bit of a mess.
The Vancouver Canucks and Arizona Coyotes, recent cellar-dwellers, are on the wild-card bubble. The Calgary Flames, who seemingly have been tethered to said bubble in recent years, are nipping at the Sharks’ heels (fins?