SAN JOSE - After years of wearing their black alternate sweaters at home in the postseason, the Sharks will sport their standard home teals for the upcoming 2016 playoffs, a team spokesman confirmed on Thursday.

The last time the Sharks wore their black sweaters in the postseason, of course, was when they surrendered a three-games-to-none lead to Los Angeles in the first round of 2014 playoffs in one of the worst collapses in NHL history. The Sharks have worn their black sweaters at home for each of their past four playoffs runs, from 2011 through 2014.

San Jose planned on wearing its teal sweaters in the playoffs last year, but did not qualify, ending a 10-year streak.

The other option would have been for the Sharks to wear their well-received throwback Heritage Jersey, featuring the original shade of teal, introduced this season for the club’s 25th anniversary. The Sharks finished 0-3-2 in those sweaters, however. They are 3-2-1 in their black sweaters, and 14-13-0 in their teal sweaters headed into Thursday's home game with Vancouver.

The black sweater, introduced in 2008-09, was preferred by the players in the playoffs because many felt they had a lighter feel with less material than the others. The Sharks revised their home and road sweaters prior to the 2013-14 season with that in mind, reducing some of the extra ornamentation on the home teals and road whites.

The Sharks officially clinched their spot in the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Monday.



