The long-term goal for the San Jose Sharks will be to snap a six-year playoff drought.
The short-term quest when the Sharks host the Calgary Flames on Thursday is to snap a four-game losing skid.
As both teams return to action from the Olympic break, the Sharks are a handful of points out of a playoff position, but still close enough to make a strike, a big shift from finishing near the bottom of the league the past couple of campaigns.
“Excited to start playing again. It’s gonna be great,” said rising star forward Macklin Celebrini, who returned from winning silver with Canada at the Olympics. “It was a long break and I know the guys are excited to get started playing again, especially with our goal in mind.”
The Sharks have been in the playoff mix much of the season, but are well aware of the need to snap their skid, which included a loss to the Flames. San Jose went into the break after suffering a 4-2 road loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Feb. 4.
Celebrini, who had a huge hand in Canada’s success despite being a few months shy of his 20th birthday, returns to the club believing he learned plenty while being around the likes of Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid for a couple of weeks.
Celebrini said he noticed how the top players have a winning mentality he wants to replicate.
“A lot of those guys have won the Stanley Cup and won so many other things,” he said. “Being around them and knowing what you have to do to get to that goal, you see the habits and preparation they have.”
The Flames are a half-dozen points back of the Sharks, and are not only a longer shot to reach the Stanley Cup tournament but also coping with a whirlwind of trade rumors.
The likes of veterans Blake Coleman, Nazem Kadri and MacKenzie Weegar are all potential trade targets for other clubs heading into the March 6 trade deadline.
“For me, it’s always a focus on where I am,” Kadri said. “I’m not a one-foot-out-the-door kind of guy, wherever I am. I exert my full energy and give it 110%, so I try not to let it affect me too much. We’re all human in that sense, but you know, I’m a Calgary Flame, and my dedication is to here, for now.”
The Flames went into the break on a high after beating the Edmonton Oilers by a 4-3 score on Feb. 4. However, Calgary has only two victories in its last eight games (2-4-2).
On the positive, the Flames will receive a boost to the lineup with Coleman back in action after missing 11 games due to injury. Calgary also expects to have depth with forward John Beecher suiting up after missing 14 games due to injury and energy forward Martin Pospisil ready to play after skating for Slovakia during the Olympics.
“This gives us a group of forwards that have good speed to their game, and can a physical gritty game,” coach Ryan Huska said. “It gives us nice options going forward.”
Pospisil, who missed the first half of the season due a concussion, is eager to build on a solid performance at the Olympics, and see if the team can make a playoff push.
“Start winning right away, and just keep rolling,” he said. “I know there’s gonna be lots of games.”
