SAN JOSE — Sharks coach Pete DeBoer is amused by Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford’s relaxed attitude about this year’s playoff race.

Rutherford told reporters last month that the Penguins’ focus down the stretch isn’t necessarily to win the Metropolitan Division or earn the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Instead, Rutherford said, the Pens have their sights set on reaching the playoffs and they like their chances of making another deep run regardless of where they’re seeded.

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Sharks’ Couture says he was “sucker punched” after he expressed support for GOP The Sharks are taking a different approach. They are attacking the last 13 games of the season with a more desperate mindset aimed at locking down the top seed in the Western Conference.

“We’re going to chase that until they tell us we’re out of it,” DeBoer said. “Jimmy (Rutherford) spent the summer celebrating, so he can say that.”

By compiling a 17-4- 5 record since Jan. 16, the Sharks (42-20- 7) have pulled to within one point of the Minnesota Wild (43-19- 6) for second place in the Western Conference standings and within two points of the Chicago Blackhawks (44-20- 5) for the top seed.

The Sharks and Blackhawks both have played 69 games — one more than the Wild, whom ther Sharks will face in St. Paul on March 21, their final head-to- head showdown against either Western rival.

DeBoer said the No. 1 seed will give the Sharks, “the easiest path” to the Stanley Cup Final.

“You can’t underestimate (the benefits of having) a Game 7 in your own building, not traveling,” DeBoer said. “It’s not the be-all and end-all, but you want that path. It’s a hard enough path, you want to make it as easy as possible on yourself.”

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But the Sharks can identify with Rutherford’s just-get- into-the- tournament mentality because seeding means much less in the NHL than it does in the NBA or the NFL. Last year, for instance, the Sharks reached the Stanley Cup final despite finishing in third place in the Pacific Division and opening the first round of the playoffs and the Conference finals on the road.

The Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup as a No. 8 seed in 2012 and they did it again in 2014 after finishing third in the Pacific Division. The Blackhawks won in 2015 as the Central Division’s third seed, and the Penguins won last season as the Metropolitan Division’s second seed.

“Every team wants to finish as high as possible to start at home, it’s common sense, but it isn’t life or death,” Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic said. “If you look at teams in the past: L.A. won it as an eight seed, we went to the final last year, and Pittsburgh, too, and they weren’t a No. 1 seed. If you’re playing well, if you come together at the right time, it doesn’t matter where you finish.”

Although the Sharks reached the final as a low seed last year, they’re intimately aware of the benefits of holding home-ice advantage. Last year, DeBoer’s squad escaped the second round of the playoffs in large part because it hosted a Game 7 against the Nashville Predators after the home team won the first six games of the series.

“Having that game at home was big for us,” alternate captain Logan Couture said. “That’s a tough team to play in their building, so home ice was really important in that series.”

Regardless of whether the Sharks manage to chase down Minnesota and Chicago to finish first in the West, the consensus in the locker room is that it’s more important to be playing with momentum heading into the playoffs. With an 11-3- 5 record since the All-Star break, the Sharks appear to be hitting their groove at the right time.

“It’s just about playing your best hockey and wherever you sit, you sit,” Couture said. “We’ve given ourselves a chance to win the conference, so hopefully we can capitalize.”

–Defenseman David Schlemko practiced Wednesday, his first full session with the team since he suffered a right-knee injury March 2.

Schlemko, who has missed the last six games, is aiming to play Saturday against Anaheim.

“Obviously, it’s not completely up to me, but that’s what I’m shooting for,” Schlemko said.

Melker Karlsson, who also has missed the last six games with a lower-body injury, did not participate in practice Wednesday.

“I would say (he’s) doubtful for Saturday,” DeBoer said.