Watch out for the Sharks

[SpikeDDS]

I see the Sharks are the first team to get to the second round, and they did so in quick fashion--a sweep of the Canucks. I said it months ago in our "Who do you not want to meet in the SCPs?" thread that we need to watch out for the Sharks. Unfortunately, the only way to get the chance to meet them will be through Chicago, but those guys match up well against us, and if Anti is playing well in goal...

If we make it past the Ducks, the road will not be easy. Then again, why not travel it, right? Hope we're up to it.

[flyerrod]

Niemi I thought was the weakest point for the Sharks. He was bailed out by his defense numerous times in the Nucks series. On several occasions he gets caught out of position only to be saved by his defensemen. Niemi is probably the weakest Stanley Cup winning goaltender with his name on the cup.....except for Bryzgalov....man does that suck to type....

[Lindbergh31]

Niemi I thought was the weakest point for the Sharks. He was bailed out by his defense numerous times in the Nucks series. On several occasions he gets caught out of position only to be saved by his defensemen. Niemi is probably the weakest Stanley Cup winning goaltender with his name on the cup.....except for Bryzgalov....man does that suck to type....

I'd like to see the Sharks win the cup this year, they've been pretty consistent over the last decade, it would be nice to see them win it finally.

[WingNut722]

Personally, I don't think Wings or the Sharks will make it that far. I've been figuring on a CHI-PIT final for most of the regular season. They've been the two most consistent teams. If the Red Wings make it past Anaheim, they'll likely meet Chicago, who will wipe them out. San Jose's series will be against wither LAK or STL, both of which can beat the Sharks very easily, so it could absolutely go either way. I certainly would not want to wager any money (HF Tokens?) on that series.

So to address your initial concern, @SpikeDDS, I think it's a non-issue....

[Digityman]

2010 Chicago beats Vancouver, wins the cup

2011 Boston beats Vancouver, wins the cup

2012 Kings beats Vancouver, wins the cup

[VanIsleFlyer]

@Digityman The same could be said about the Flyers, except for last year!

[VanIsleFlyer]

2009 Pittsburgh beats Philly, wins the Cup; 2010 Chicago beats Philly, wins the Cup; 2011 Boston beats Philly, wins the Cup. Last year, never happened, but three of the past four years, we lost to the eventual Cup champs.

[yave1964]

Not a Shark fan, cant stand Thornton and really, really did not like Clowe at all, Pavelski giving Jimmy Howard snow shower after snow in the playoffs a few years ago, Rob Blake and beating us in the Brent Burns trade sweepstakes a few years ago. Overall, I think of the 15 teams left they are the one I would LEAST want to see win the Cup. Just flat out don't like em.

That said, Todd Mclellan is a former Wings assistant so I guess I would be okay with it if he won a cup, lol. Also Paul Maclean is a former Wings assistant now coaching with the Senators. Now Jim Nill is the GM in Dallas, Stevie Yzerman is of course the GM in Tampa. Scotty Bowman is a consultant in Chicago where his son is the GM, Jim Rutherford and Dave Lewis are part of the brain trust in Carolina, these are all off the top of my head, I am sure there are more. I guess copying/stealing management is flattery.

[SpikeDDS]

@yave1964

Oh, TRUST me, I'm not a Shark fan either, for many of the same reasons you mention. I do respect Thornton's and Pavelski's abilities, and you have to respect Niemi when he plays well, which he does in streaks it seems. He's playing well now.

The original thread was about which teams we wouldn't want to face in the SCPs, and I think I was the sole voice that said the SJS. I certainly think Chicago would be higher on that list that SJ, and should we face the Hawks, we will have to play at our very best if we want any chance to beat them. They are, frankly, the deepest team in the West, and their record reflects that. The importance of the depth is only magnified in the playoffs.

But first, we've gotta play in Game 7 like we did in Game 6, or all this turns out to be just mental masturbation anyway.

[yave1964]

Spike,

I cannot believe what a different team the Sharks are since the deadline.

They traded:

Clowe

Murray

Handzus

They replaced them with

Raffi Torres

Scott Hannan

Ahandful of picks in this and next years drafts

Very, very nice job of retooling on the fly by the sharks, Torres is built for the playoffs as is Hannan, I am not a Shark fan but I respect the job they did clearing off the deadwood and big contracts and replacing them with post season performers. You are right, a lot of us (including me) kind of looked past them, I really would not have been surprised if the Canucks had swept them, not the other way around. But the Sharks acquisitions, Torres, Hannan, Brad Stuart and even Scott Gomez are built for the playoffs. Kudos to you for picking up on it.

[filly4life]

2009 Pittsburgh beats Philly, wins the Cup; 2010 Chicago beats Philly, wins the Cup; 2011 Boston beats Philly, wins the Cup. Last year, never happened, but three of the past four years, we lost to the eventual Cup champs.

The same things could be said about the Phillies (except for last year). After they won in 2008, they lost to the Yankees, Giants and Cardinals who all went on to win the title. And an interesting fact but if you had to pick a Superbowl winner this year, put your money on the Chargers. For the past four years, the Superbowl champion has been the team that's faced the Eagles in their home opener. From 2008 to 2012 their opponents at home have been the Saints, Packers, Giants, and Ravens. In 2007 (2008 Superbowl) the Steelers played the Eagles in their 2nd home game... Kind of odd.

[SpikeDDS]

Very, very nice job of retooling on the fly by the sharks, Torres is built for the playoffs as is Hannan, I am not a Shark fan but I respect the job they did clearing off the deadwood and big contracts and replacing them with post season performers. You are right, a lot of us (including me) kind of looked past them, I really would not have been surprised if the Canucks had swept them, not the other way around. But the Sharks acquisitions, Torres, Hannan, Brad Stuart and even Scott Gomez are built for the playoffs. Kudos to you for picking up on it.

There weren't too many people who didn't say that the Sharks were basically "giving up" after those trades. Truth is, if they had lost instead of won since the deadline, that's EXACTLY what everyone would have said, and they would have been right. It's interesting how winning changes perceptions--from "giving up" to "genius." Turns out, it's genius!

As an aside, if there is one thing I like about Mike Babcock it's that his focus on winning never wavers. It is always central to his thinking. He doesn't let other issues distract him from focusing on that goal. Though I do occasionally disagree with him, I must acknowledge this about him. It's a big reason he is recognized as the best current coach in the NHL (so says ESPN). I think his coaching this season argues that this may be correct. This was BY FAR his most difficult coaching season for the RWs. That many, including myself, could not see the progression/of this team before we started winning is a testament to how much more he knows about what is really going on with this team than we often give him credit for.