It makes sense to believe that the San Jose Sharks and Detroit Red Wings will begin play on Friday, and there's rumors abound that it's likely. David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News says he's got a source that's saying the Sharks will play on Friday to accommodate the Hockey Night in Canada crew and their preferred Saturday night game in regards to the Vancouver Canucks-Nashville Predators series.
Bob Wojnowski on Twitter, reiterated the sentiments:
Red Wings open in San Jose on Friday, then Sun. Geez, that didn't take long to figure out.
So we've got a likely Friday start at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, which would likely mean Sunday is game two, also in San Jose. The Sharks will once again have home-ice advantage, but that didn't seem to mean much against the LA Kings. The Kings got both of their wins (game two, game five) at HP Pavilion, and the Sharks grabbed three of their four at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The Sharks' only loss to the Red Wings during this past regular season (3-1) came at home in San Jose.
A Friday start would give the Red Wings eight days of rest, while the Sharks would get three.