SAN JOSE — The weather forecast for Monday calls for highs in the mid-80s. That's good for swimming, bad for ice skating and much worse for trying to control a rubber puck with a bladed stick while on skates.
The playing surface at SAP Center was sub-optimal Saturday for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final after a day in which the thermometer climbed to 85 degrees. "I don't think the ice was great,'' Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said. "I didn't think the ice was great in Pittsburgh (for Games 1 and 2).'' With the heat wave sticking around, the ice might be soft again Monday evening for Game 4.