Back-loaded schedule should help Sharks start strong

With the 2011-12 season rapidly approaching, the gang at PHT decided to take a look at all 30 NHL teams’ schedules. Each team’s highs and lows will be studied in detail to give you an idea of what the future might hold for each squad.

Note: Mileage figures via On the Forecheck’s “Super Schedule.”

San Jose Sharks schedule analysis

Total mileage: 43,994 (11th most miles in NHL, but least in the Pacific Division)

Back-to-back games: 14

Toughest stretches

The Sharks have two separate trips to the East Coast that could prove to be their toughest stretches of the season. From October 21 – October 31, the Sharks travel East for a six game road trip (five in the Eastern time zone). Later in the season, San Jose will face a much stiffer test with a difficult 9-game road trip in the middle of February. Starting on February 12, the Sharks will face teams from the Central, Southeast, Northeast, and Northwest Divisions. All on the same trip.

Easiest periods

The Sharks are going to have every opportunity to finish the 2011 calendar year with a bang. Between November 3 and December 8, the Sharks will play 12 of 15 games at the Shark Tank. A week later, San Jose will host a six-game homestand that kicks off against the Avalanche and Oilers. The rest of the homestand will be against teams that made the playoffs last season—but the Sharks are an incredibly tough team to play against at the Tank.

Overall outlook

One of the overwhelming positives for the Sharks is that they have a noticeably lighter travel log than any other team in the Pacific Division. November and December will provide the Sharks with a chance to get off to a strong start before the holiday break. They’ll need it too—the nine game road trip in February will loom large if they’re in a battle for playoff positioning.

If the prognosticators are correct, the final two games of the season against the Los Angeles could decide the Pacific Division.