Sharks get needed break, but are playoff hopes already cooked?

"DENVER - The San Jose Sharks, the NHL's last-place team the two previous years, opened a lot of eyes in the first four months of the regular season by joining and then staying in the race for a playoff spot. But at this point, the Sharks are in agreement that it's time for a break from the NHL's daily grind."

"As the Olympic Break begins, some Sharks will soon board flights to Italy to represent their countries, and several others are heading back to their hometowns. Two or three might find their way to a warm location and stay at a nice hotel with a swim-up bar. "The break," Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said Wednesday, "couldn't come at a better time.""

"That's the crib notes version of the Sharks' disappointing 1-3-1 road trip, which ended Wednesday with a 4-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena despite a brilliant 38-save effort from goalie Yaroslav Askarov. After a win over the last-place Vancouver Canucks last Tuesday, the Sharks squandered an opportunity to gain two points in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers, in which they blew a three-goal lead."

After finishing last in the NHL the previous two seasons, the San Jose Sharks competed in the playoff race through the first four months of the regular season. The team enters the Olympic Break with several players traveling to represent their countries and others returning home. The Sharks finished a disappointing 1-3-1 road trip, capped by a 4-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche despite a 38-save performance by goalie Yaroslav Askarov. The team blew a three-goal lead in a 4-3 overtime loss to Edmonton and lost in regulation to Calgary and Chicago. Playoff probability fell from 48.5% to 25.9% per moneypuck.com.

Read at The Mercury News