Stanley Cup Outsiders: San Jose
The San Jose Sharks may never have lifted the Stanley Cup, but it's definitely not for lack of trying.
In the 21 seasons (not including the lost 05/06 season) since the Sharks formed, the team has only missed the playoffs five times. The last time that happened was in 2003. Still though, the furthest the Sharks ever got in the playoffs was the Conference final.
The Pacific division is full of teams with cup pedigree and the intermittent Calgary Flames and struggling Edmonton Oilers seem to be happy to gift their points to any team who turns up. The Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings are dominant in the division, and the Phoenix Coyotes' initial run of outstanding form has stalled slightly.
This leaves the Sharks and the Canucks to fight for the number three spot in the division. Traditionally the Canucks have always been happy to donate two points whenever the two teams meet up, but under new coach John Tortorella; the planets aligned and the Canucks actually won a game between the two division rivals.
Can the Sharks make the playoffs this season? Yeah. Definitely. Although maybe not the most consistent team in the league, the Sharks have demonstrated that they can win the big games. The Sharks have played each of their division rivals at least once this season and has beat them all. Admittedly they've also lost some of those games but at least we know the team can perform.
So far this season, the Sharks are 21/8/6, and that's no accident. The team has built a solid core group of players. Goaltender Antti Niemi has 18 wins to his name, only Marc-Andre Fleury has more.
Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski and Tomas Hertl are all putting the biscuit in the basket with ease, with Logan Couture also helping. The secret weapon the Sharks have isn't the four main scorers, it's the fact that everyone else can, and does score. Even the blueliners. There's very few Sharks skaters who've failed to find twine this season.
This is in no small part down to Joe Thornton. The Sharks captain has no less than 31 assists. To put that into context, Sidney Crosby leads the league with 34 assists. That's some esteemed company.
Now the bad news. Tomas Hertl is out with a knee injury, probably for a month. This will be a telling month for the team.
So, why do I think the Sharks are an outsider for the cup, instead of a shoe-in? Well we've seen that the on the day, the team can beat any other team in the league. Add to this the teams' playoff experience, it would be foolish to write them off. But... we've been here before, pretty much every season. The ability to go all the way in the postseason is an ability that not all teams have. History has taught us that the Sharks don't have this ability.
Will this season be different? What do you think?
In the 21 seasons (not including the lost 05/06 season) since the Sharks formed, the team has only missed the playoffs five times. The last time that happened was in 2003. Still though, the furthest the Sharks ever got in the playoffs was the Conference final.
The Pacific division is full of teams with cup pedigree and the intermittent Calgary Flames and struggling Edmonton Oilers seem to be happy to gift their points to any team who turns up. The Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings are dominant in the division, and the Phoenix Coyotes' initial run of outstanding form has stalled slightly.
This leaves the Sharks and the Canucks to fight for the number three spot in the division. Traditionally the Canucks have always been happy to donate two points whenever the two teams meet up, but under new coach John Tortorella; the planets aligned and the Canucks actually won a game between the two division rivals.
Can the Sharks make the playoffs this season? Yeah. Definitely. Although maybe not the most consistent team in the league, the Sharks have demonstrated that they can win the big games. The Sharks have played each of their division rivals at least once this season and has beat them all. Admittedly they've also lost some of those games but at least we know the team can perform.
So far this season, the Sharks are 21/8/6, and that's no accident. The team has built a solid core group of players. Goaltender Antti Niemi has 18 wins to his name, only Marc-Andre Fleury has more.
Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski and Tomas Hertl are all putting the biscuit in the basket with ease, with Logan Couture also helping. The secret weapon the Sharks have isn't the four main scorers, it's the fact that everyone else can, and does score. Even the blueliners. There's very few Sharks skaters who've failed to find twine this season.
This is in no small part down to Joe Thornton. The Sharks captain has no less than 31 assists. To put that into context, Sidney Crosby leads the league with 34 assists. That's some esteemed company.
Now the bad news. Tomas Hertl is out with a knee injury, probably for a month. This will be a telling month for the team.
So, why do I think the Sharks are an outsider for the cup, instead of a shoe-in? Well we've seen that the on the day, the team can beat any other team in the league. Add to this the teams' playoff experience, it would be foolish to write them off. But... we've been here before, pretty much every season. The ability to go all the way in the postseason is an ability that not all teams have. History has taught us that the Sharks don't have this ability.
Will this season be different? What do you think?
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