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Now that the Christmas break is over, the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks can focus on getting back in the win column.
The Pacific Division rivals are each trying to avoid a fourth straight loss Thursday night at SAP Center. For the Sharks, the league's three-day hiatus couldn't have come at a better time.
"I feel like our team's running on fumes a little bit, the tank's a little empty," coach Peter DeBoer said after a 4-3 shootout loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Sunday. "We've had to dig deep the last two nights to find a way to scratch out a couple of points."
The latest setback came after San Jose (19-12-7) dropped a 3-2 decision to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. The Sharks opened their homestand with a 5-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Dec. 20.
"All three of them, we should have collected points," San Jose center Logan Couture said. "I wouldn't say it's a step backward. I'd say we weren't at our best."
For Anaheim (19-14-5), the challenge isn't just in ending its skid. The Ducks managed only two goals during their losing streak and went into the break with a 3-0 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.
Ryan Getzlaf told the Orange County Register that the club didn't finish the Eastern part of a season-high six straight games on the road strongly but also chose to look at the bigger picture.
"The biggest message was that we've accomplished a lot in the last month and don't let this derail us from what we want to accomplish," he said. "Come back energized and ready to play again."
From Nov. 27 through Dec. 17, Anaheim scored 36 goals while winning nine of 10. Getzlaf, Ondrej Kase and Pontus Aberg each collected more than 10 points over that span.
"If you look at the bulk of the work we've had the last month or so, there's a lot of good things to build off," defenseman Josh Manson told the Register. "I think we're playing a good brand of hockey. Look at those games we were winning. What needs to change when we're winning?
"You don't want to start picking your whole game apart because you lost three (straight)."
Even with their respective slides, the Ducks and Sharks remain near the top of a tightly packed division.
"This league, the margin of error is very small. The parity is very good regardless of the records and if you're off a little bit, you're going to have tough nights," DeBoer said.
One player Anaheim will not face in its first game back is Erik Karlsson, who is wrapping up a two-game suspension. The defenseman drew the first ban of his 10-year career for a check to the head of Los Angeles winger Austin Wagner on Saturday.
Karlsson has an eight-game assist streak and collected 19 (two goals, 17 assists) of his 26 points this season since Nov. 13.
However, this will be the 1,000th game for teammate and fellow blueliner Brent Burns. A two-time Norris Trophy winner and three-time 20-goal scorer, Burns leads San Jose with 31 assists and is second with 35 points.
Since the start of the 2013-14 season, Burns leads all NHL defensemen with 111 goals and is second with 361 points, trailing only Karlsson.
The Sharks and Ducks split the first two meetings this season since San Jose swept Anaheim in the first round of the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs.
