SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The San Jose Sharks are hobbling into the playoffs instead of rolling into them.
Their top two centers are nursing injuries that have placed their status in doubt, and a late-season stumble has cost them home-ice advantage in the first round. So the Sharks head into their series against Edmonton trying to find the form that helped them win the Western Conference last year.
The most pressing questions surround the health of Joe Thornton and Logan Couture. Thornton missed the final three games of the regular season with an injured left knee, and Couture sat the final seven after taking a deflected puck to the face.