The prevailing wisdom outside the organization is that the Sharks want to finish ahead of the Anaheim Ducks so they won't have to open against the Los Angeles Kings in what would be a hard-grinding, physical series that leaves the eventual winner battered and bruised.
"That's the outside talking," Logan Couture said after an optional Friday skate. "In this room, it's win the division so you've got home-ice advantage. That's what we believe in here. Our goal is to get home-ice advantage and see who we play. It doesn't matter who we play in the West. They're going to be a good team."
McLellan won't even concede the premise that the Kings would be the most physical opponent.
"How do we know that? We don't know that. We can't assume that," he said. "There's a lot of hockey left. To begin to predict who we might play and what kind of series it might be is a complete waste of time on our behalf."
A Pacific Division title would mean a first-round matchup with one of two Western Conference wild-card teams - at the moment, either the Minnesota Wild or Phoenix Coyotes. But there's also the possibility the Coyotes will pass the Kings - and the Sharks could face L.A. even if San Jose finishes ahead of Anaheim.
What McLellan does acknowledge with 11 games left is that the Sharks aren't focused only on finishing higher than teams in the Pacific but in the Central Division and Eastern Conference as well. Right now, for example, San Jose trails the St. Louis Blues but leads the Chicago Blackhawks and Colorado Avalanche by a narrow margin.
"We want to put ourselves in the best situation for a long run," the coach said. "Will that happen? I don't know."
The Capitals are in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race and have picked up three points in the first two stops of their California tour by beating Anaheim 3-2 and losing 2-1 in a shootout in Los Angeles.
With Alexander Ovechkin scoring 20 of his 46 goals on the power play, Washington entered Friday's play tied for first in the NHL with a 23.9 success rate with the man advantage.
"Their power play alone can win them games," McLellan said. "They move the puck so well. They've got triggermen all over the place. If you spend a lot of time in the penalty box, no matter how good your penalty kill is, they'll eventually get one by you."
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