San Jose’s home games likely to be in Arizona
The Sharks have not made an official announcement but all signs point to the team having to play its scheduled home games early next month at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz. instead of SAP Center in San Jose.
As of Friday afternoon, the ICU bed availability -according to data in the state of California’s COVID-19 website -- in the Bay Area region was at 6.5 percent, with the four-week projection staying below the 15 percent threshold necessary for reopening.
The Sharks’ first scheduled games as the home team are Feb. 1 and Feb. 3 against the Vegas Golden Knights. However, a region’s stay-at-home order, under California regulations, will remain in place as long as ICU bed availability is under 15 percent.
The Sharks had to hold their training camp in Scottsdale, Arizona from Dec. 31 to Jan 11 because of Santa Clara County’s ban on professional and collegiate contact sports, which will remain in effect as long as the Bay Area’s regional stay-athome order is in place.
After the first games of next month against Vegas, the Sharks are in Southern California to play two games against both Ducks on Feb. 5 and Feb. 6 and Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 9 and 11.
The Sharks are more likely going to be able to return to San Jose for their Feb. 13 and 15 games against the Anaheim Ducks. But even then, there’s no guarantee.
“We’re keeping our mindset on coming back (at the end of January), but we also know that there’s a chance we definitely might have to
play the first two games in Arizona, our first two home games,” Sharks coach Bob Boughner said.
“But then we go on the road for another week. So we’re still in the long term hoping the latest we’d get back there would be February 13, but no one really knows to be honest with you.”
The Sharks are on an eight-game road trip to start the season, and they carried a 2-2-0 record into Friday’s game with the Minnesota Wild. The Sharks play Minnesota again on Sunday, then face the Colorado Avalanche in Denver on Jan. 26 and Jan. 28. HOMECOMING: >> Ryan Donato started Friday’s road game on the Sharks’ top line with Logan Couture and Kevin Labanc.
It’s a slightly different role than the one Donato had the last time he played a game inside the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, when he was on Minnesota’s fourth line with Mikko Koivu and Ryan Hartman for a game against the Washington Capitals on March 1, 2020.
Donato is getting the fresh start he wanted after he saw his ice time dwin
dle toward the end of his brief tenure with the Wild. He played 11 minutes or less in four of his last five regular season games and was a healthy scratch for two of Minnesota’s four playoff games in August.
“The team has done a great job of making me feel welcome,” Donato said of the Sharks. “The guys here are awesome.”
At the end of the season, Minnesota general manager Bill Guerin wanted to shake things up after a subpar year. He spoke with Donato, who welcomed a change of scenery.
In October, Donato was dealt to the Sharks for a 2021 third round draft pick general manager Doug Wilson had acquired at the February 2020 trade deadline when they sent Patrick Marleau to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“I wanted to play hockey, that’s what hockey players do. They want to play,” Donato said. “And if I’m going to be here and not play, then maybe I can go somewhere else. It really wasn’t said exactly to me in that way, but I think (that’s what) the message was afterwards, after our conversation.