After a very brief offseason, San Jose Sharks hockey is back. Team Teal opens its season against the Los Angeles Kings at SAP Center at 7:30 p.m. tonight on NBC Sports. A slightly improved Sharks team will host the team they handily beat in the 2016 postseason looking to get an early foothold in the Pacific Division title race.
These games are always appointment viewing and we’ve been lucky enough to get one to open the last three seasons (including this one, of course). It doesn’t hurt that this is the first we’ll get to see where the Sharks ended the Kings’ season.
If you’re going to the game I would get to your seats early so you can see the Western Conference Champion banner raising that I believe will happen a bit before puck drop. My hope is that NBC Sports will broadcast the full banner raising but … you never know.
Some things to watch for tonight:
First thing’s first: Mikkel Boedker and David Schlemko will play in their first games as Sharks.
Don’t take the bait: The Kings will, as always, want to slow the game down by focusing on big hits. If the Sharks can stick to their game, they’ll be fine.
Dr. Jones: How will Martin Jones look as his sophomore season as a starter begins?
Lifestyle Beards: Brent Burns and Joe Thornton will be out of contract after this season. This is fine.
That’s it. Go Sharks!
| Game 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
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vs. |  |
| Wednesday, October 12, 2016 — 7:30 p.m. PT | ||
| SAP Center — San Jose, California, USA | ||
| Get the Los Angeles perspective at Jewels From the Crown | ||
| How to Watch / Listen In San Jose | ||
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| Stats and Figures | ||
| 46-30-6 | Regular Season Record | 48-28-6 |
| 3rd in Pacific | Regular Season Finish | 2nd in Pacific |
| 53.3% | Regular Season Even Strength, Score-Adj. Fenwick | 55.97 |
| 100.4 | Regular Season PDO | 99.98 |
| 22.5 | Regular Season PP% | 20.0 |
| 80.5 | Regular Season PK% | 81.4 |
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