Arena Well, I'd Rather Be Dead in Arizona Than Alive in Utah (NHL Discussion, Playoffs and Relocation)

Agreed, but I'm still waiting for the answer.

 

Hmmm... What are the Toronto Maple Leafs?

 

Jackets are in!

 

Some team that apparently plays in the NHL

 

Sharks are officially locked in against the Kings in the first round now.

 

SJ vs LA? That will be awesome to see, but don't who I would root for.

 

SJ always chokes it up, they always own the regular season then take a nose dive in the playoffs. Everyone always says, "Oh but this year the Sharks look good" only to have them lose again.

That being said, I'd love for SJ to beat LA. I want a new winner this year, not the same old PIT, BOS, CHI, LA.

 

But this time it's for real.

 

In all seriousness, the Sharks might be able to benefit from not having sent so many players to the Olympics (if Olympic fatigue is a real thing). I think both Chicago and St. Louis had 10 players playing in Sochi.

 

This again? Sorry if they're on past your bedtime but the Sharks haven't "choked" since '09 when they won the President's Trophy and **** the bed in the first round against the Ducks. Every series since then they have lost to a higher seeded playoff team.

Last year they went 7 games in the 2nd round and lost to the Kings in a series where the home team won every game. In 2012 they limped into the playoffs and were eliminated by a Blues team which swept the regular season series. No one thought they were going all the way that year. In 2011 they lost to the Canucks who themselves went on to choke in the Cup finals. And in 2010 they lost to the Blackhawks who went on to win the Cup.

If loosing to better teams is the new definition of "choking" well there's a pretty long list of choke artists in the NHL.

 

FWIW I believe the Sharks were the closest to the Hawks in 2010 despite the sweep. Most competitive and highest level/amount of skill in a series that year.

 

They're great up front and have the goaltending but LA has the edge on defence. Should be a good series.

 

The West playoffs are gonna be awesome.

 

Looks like Brendan Shanahan will leave his post to become President for the Leafs

 

You're right. The Sharks are simply just a bunch of losers.

 

So are 28 other teams every year.

 

Came too late to make a difference, but I was glad to see that the Jets beat the Bruins

 

1-Blackhawks-Nobody can match them. Tested and proven.
2-Bruins-Great team with good depth but not enough speed and skill against the Hawks
3-Blues-Backes, Steen and Pietrangelo all having their best year plus Miller.
4-Kings-Quick. Also the best depth at center, great team D and the ability to turn it up for playoffs.
5-Sharks-They have offense and goaltending. Not as deep in D as any team above.
6-Avalanche-They are for real. Smart, fast and not gunna go away easy
7-Rangers-Scoring? Lundqvist could steal a series but they need to be much more consistent on O.
8-Canadians-A decent team but they can rise to the occasion.
9-Penguins-More than enough talent but lacking in leadership when it gets rougher.
10-Ducks-I don't see the room to improve for playoffs but they have good enough goaltending and Getzlaf.
11-Red Wings-Best head coach. Even though the names are new the skill is still there and if Zetterberg returns...
12-Flyers-They have a little bit of everything but very likely not enough.
13-Wild-They can test any team but in the end not enough scoring to keep up with the top teams.
14-Lightning-Not an easy out but also not really a contender at the moment.
15-Blue Jackets-Bob could steal some games but who's gonna carry them?
16-Stars-No chance.

 

I just don't see how Boston can defend against Chicago and continue to roll offensively at the same time. It will be the same as last year. Too much speed for the Bruins to handle. They will have their hands full with Detroit.

 

I wouldn't worry about rust but whether or not their injuries will be major issues. Blues won't necessarily be affected by the slump. The bigger question for them is Backes.

 

Ducks at 10th? I would never put them below Montreal or NYR.