SAN JOSE – In their final game of the regular season, the Sharks pulled several regulars out of the lineup against the Flames ahead of next week’s first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Joe Pavelski, Tomas Hertl, Joel Ward and Justin Braun were all scratched, while Joe Thornton (left knee) and Logan Couture (mouth) also remained out due to injury.
On Saturday morning, coach Pete DeBoer said anyone coming out of the lineup would be for health reasons and not simply to get a breather during what has been a hectic condensed schedule.
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“If we sit anybody, it won’t be a rest,” DeBoer said. “Everyone is dealing with a little something, so we’ve just got some bodies here and we’ll make some decisions at game time.”
Pavelski saw an iron-man streak of 495 games come to an end. It was his first missed game since Jan. 13, 2011. The captain will fall one goal short of his fifth straight 30-goal season (not counting the lockout-shortened season of 2012-13).
Among the players that skated for the Sharks were Danny O’Regan, Timo Meier, Marcus Sorensen, Kevin Labanc and Barclay Goodrow. Dylan DeMelo took Braun’s place on the blue line.
Patrick Marleau and Brent Burns were the only Sharks players to appear in all 82 games this season. Marleau has played in 624 straight games, while Burns has played 307 in a row.
San Jose Sharks
Calgary, which is locked into the first wild card spot, sat Mark Giordano, Kris Versteeg and Mikael Backlund.
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Burns was named as the team's Player of the Year, as voted on by the local media. It was the first time he has won the award.
Previous recipients of the Player of the Year award are listed below.
2015-16 Joe Thornton
2014-15 Joe Pavelski
2013-14 Joe Pavelski
2012-13 Antti Niemi
2011-12 Logan Couture
2010-11 Antti Niemi
2009-10 Patrick Marleau
2008-09 Patrick Marleau
2007-08 Evgeni Nabokov
2006-07 Joe Thornton
2005-06 Joe Thornton
2003-04 Patrick Marleau
2002-03 Teemu Selanne
2001-02 Mike Ricci
2000-01 Evgeni Nabokov
1999-00 Owen Nolan
1998-99 Steve Shields and Mike Vernon
1997-98 Mike Vernon
1996-97 Jeff Friesen
1995-96 Jamie Baker
1994-95 Ulf Dahlen
1993-94 Arturs Irbe
1992-93 Kelly Kisio
1991-92 Jeff Hackett