Vanecek went on a conditioning assignment with the Barracuda last Friday and stopped 22 of 24 shots in San Jose’s 6-2 win over Henderson. Warsofsky had previously said that Vanecek would play at least one game before the NHL breaks for the 4 Nations Face-Off on Sunday. The Sharks host Dallas on Saturday.

Pacific division foes meet as the San Jose Sharks take on the Vancouver Canucks. Welcome back to NHL Predictions! Today, like every day, Last Word on Hockey looks at the games happening and gives our predictions for each.

The San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) along with the National Hockey League announced today the franchise’s First and Second Quarter Century Team presented by SAP as selected by a panel of media, retired players,

Sharks starting goalie Alexandar Georgiev, in a shaky performance, was pulled at the 3:01 mark of the second period after allowing four goals on 15 shots. Yaroslav Askarov came on in relief and but did not fare much better, as he allowed three goals on 16 shots.

The Vancouver Canucks (24-18-11) hit the road for one game as they visit the San Jose Sharks (15-34-6). This is a matchup the Canucks have dominated in recent years, with a record of 14-1 in their previous 15 games.

With only two games remaining before the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off, the Vancouver Canucks travel down to San Jose for a single-game road trip to battle with the Sharks. Note the 7:30 p.m. PT start time for Thursday night’s game.

The Vancouver Canucks enter this game fresh off their first win in the post-JT Miller era. The San Jose Sharks have been struggling for months now and sit in last in the league after losing to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.