VANCOUVER, British Columbia — From not even close to best in the west in just 10 weeks.
The Sharks moved into first place in the Pacific Division and the Western Conference on Monday, leapfrogging the Calgary Flames and the Winnipeg Jets with 75 points by earning a 7-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. With the win, the Sharks completed their four-game road swing through Western Canada with a perfect record.
The Sharks move into the Western Conference’s penthouse puts an exclamation mark on a remarkable turnaround that started on Dec. 2 after the Sharks got thumped by the woeful Ottawa Senators in Erik Karlsson’s homecoming to his “forever city.