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.

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. An important lineup note: Quinn Hughes will not play for the second straight game as he continues to recover from a lower-body injury.

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.

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.

Thursday, 7:30 p.m., SAP Center TV: SN Pacific. Radio: Sportsnet 650 The buzz: Quick: Which team this season do you think has attempted more shots at the opposition goal, the Vancouver Canucks or the San Jose Sharks?

The Canucks have dominated the Sharks historically, winning nine of the past 10 matchups. That trend should continue against a bad San Jose team that has made itself worse with the departures of Granlund and Ceci, as well as the demotion of their best netminder, Yaroslav Askarov.