"Ideally, the Sharks got plenty of rest over the NHL All-Star break that kept them away from the rink for five days. Because, boy, are they going to need it.

Starting Tuesday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets at HP Pavilion, San Jose faces a daunting schedule that has them squeezing 35 games into the next 68 nights after taking a generous 115 days to play their first 47.

In February, there's a nine-game, 15-day trip that includes three sets of back-to-backs. In March, they play a franchise-record 17 games.

"We're very aware of it," defenseman Dan Boyle said. "It's probably the hardest stretch of hockey that I can ever remember going through." "