The San Jose Sharks were one of the league’s elite teams this season when their roster was healthy and intact.
The biggest question mark down the stretch was star defenseman Erik Karlsson. His return in the regular-season finale on Saturday night has bolstered the Sharks’ hopes of making a deep playoff run as they enter their first-round playoff series against the Golden Knights.
“Even a rusty Erik Karlsson is still a pretty good player,” Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said after Karlsson played 22:01 in a 5-2 win over Colorado. “I think he’s going to really help us on Wednesday when we get started.