The San Jose Sharks announced Saturday that, due to the ban on contact sports that remains in place in Santa Clara County, the team will be forced to play their first two scheduled "home games" in Glendale, AZ.

"We feel that we have put significant precautions in place, including daily COVID-19 testing of the athletes and support staff, to allow for us to safely return to play games at SAP Center, while not exposing the community to any additional health risk," said Sharks President Jonathan Becher.

"In our discussions with County officials over the past several months, we have shared our detailed return-to-play plans and are hopeful that we can find practical solutions to this difficult situation very soon."

San Jose has gone 2-3 in the first five games of a six-game road trip to start the season. 

The team's first two home games are scheduled for Feb. 1 and 3 against the Vegas Golden Knights. The Sharks will partner with Gila River Arena and the Arizona Coyotes to facilitate the games, with San Jose serving as the home team for the two games.

It has not yet been determined whether or not fans will be in attendance for these games.

The Sharks next set of home games are scheduled for Feb. 13 and 15. The location of those games will be announced at a future date.