It has been quite a season for the San Jose Sharks – from struggling to find consistency to surging into a 4th straight Pacific Division title. This team has a different make-up from Sharks teams of the past in the fact that there is a real sense of improvement as the season progressed.

As noted in my season preview, I felt that if the Sharks had to battle for a higher seed, especially within their own division, and that may bode well for them as they enter the playoffs – and I still feel that way. The Sharks will face-off as the #2 seed against the 7th place Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night.

The Sharks went 3-1-2 against the Kings during the regular season but shootouts won’t be able to help LA in the playoffs. Tremendous credit goes to Antti Niemi, who went 25-4-4 with a 2.63 goals-against-average and a .910 save percentage in 34 consecutive starts from January 1st to April 4th. I was very critical of Niemi’s play early in season, and rightfully so since his numbers were awful, but the amount of work he has put in with the coaches is apparent and the team has responded accordingly. Doug Wilson’s additions of Kyle Wellwood, Ben Eager, and Ian White have given the Sharks enough depth and grit to allow their core players excel on both sides of the ice.

If you look at the way these two teams have been playing recently, it’s hard to imagine LA coming up with an upset because of their injuries to Kopitar and Justin Williams, though the latter may be ready to go in this series. Never count out Dustin Brown aka “Captain America”, who finished the year with 9 points in his last 10 games, but he will need the support of the other Dustin (Penner) to contribute to the scoresheet. Penner has only 6 points in the 19 games since being acquired from Edmonton.

I predict the Sharks winning this series in 5 games.

As mentioned in my previous post, Dany Heatley has been suspended for 2 games for his elbow to the head of Dallas Stars forward Steve Ott. The video clearly shows Heatley extending his elbow and making contact with the head of Ott. The San Jose Sharks will be without Heatley for their games on Thursday and Saturday night against Minnesota and St. Louis respectively.

Just prior to puck-drop against the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday night, I tweeted that I was a little surprised to see Antti Niemi get the start in net for the San Jose Sharks. I felt as though he was due for an “off” night, being his 25th consecutive start, and that we’d might see Antero Niittymaki between the pipes. Sure, playing in Chicago against the team he went the distance with is an emotional situation for Niemi and it gives him motivation etc., but I feel like that scenario has already been exhausted. At that point in the season, Niemi had not lost to his former club and had won a game in their barn against them.

Well, it turns out that we did get to see Niittymaki in net for the first time since his string of lower-body injuries after Niemi was chased from the net by his former squad. As much as I would love to criticize Niemi, the Sharks had failed to continue doing what had been making them so successful recently. They did, however, receive a 5 on 3 powerplay at the beginning of the 1st period – which Joe Pavelski scored on – and scored a shorthanded goal to end the period up 2-1. It looked like Chicago had a game-plan on Niemi (funneling pucks towards his five-hole), which they stuck to throughout the first and erupted for five goals during the 2nd period.

Looked like the Sharks were allowing too many odd-man rushes and open lanes to the net, so when you’re facing guys like Toews, Kane, Sharp, and Hossa goals will be scored. The end result was a 6-3 loss that should be an eye-opener to Westen Conference teams for how much the Blackhawks have improved this season.

Tuesday night in Dallas saw a similar wide-open style of play as seen in the game against Chicago. Niemi got the start again, stopping 34 of the 37 shots faced. Despite falling behind 2-0 in the second period, the Sharks managed to tie the game before the second stanza concluded, then scored four in the 3rd period (including two empty net goals) to cap off a 6-3 game of their own. Joe Pavelski ended up with 4 assists in the game and Dallas’ Jamie Benn continued his assault on the NHL with a goal and two helpers.

This divisional game was very physical and saw its fair share of headshots that will surely be addressed Wednesday. The only shot I saw clearly, and with a replay, was Dany Heatley’s elbow to the head of Steve Ott. I wouldn’t be surprised if Heatley gets 2-4 games for the play. Ott was not carrying the puck and Heatley went out of his way to extend his elbow and made contact with the head. Not only was the penalty selfish, but it was dirty, unnecessary, and it has no business being in hockey. Highlights of the incidents can be found on tsn.ca.

The Sharks will return home to face the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night. Holding down the #3 seed, San Jose is three points ahead of the Kings and Coyotes and sit two points behind the Red Wings for the #2 seed, but Detroit has two games in hand.

If you look at San Jose’s remaining schedule, not only are 9 of the Sharks’ last 15 games against divisional opponents, but nearly all are against teams battling for a playoff spot. Additionally, San Jose’s strong play has them contending for the top two seeds while most of their remaining opponents will be vying for the lower seeds – this makes matchups, like last night’s against the Nashville Predators, possible first round opponents.

The 3-2 OT win by the Sharks definitely had the feel of a playoff tilt and while happy with the results, here are some observations I had from my seats at HP:

Nashville’s top line is able to generate pressure and offense because of Ryan Suter and Shea Weber. These two defensemen are as good as any tandem in the National Hockey League. When the Preds gain the offensive zone, Suter and Weber take the opportunity to activate, creating scoring chances and confusion amongst the defenders.

A key to the Sharks’ successes in this game came when they created traffic in front of Pekka Rinne. At 6’5, Rinne is having a Vezina-worthy season so if you want to score on this big guy, shooting through sticks and getting deflections is your best bet. San Jose’s regulation goals came in this fashion and I think Marleau’s game-winner was partially deflected as well.

Both of Nashville’s goals came on the powerplay where the San Jose penalty-killers were basically caught puck-watching. Ian White gave Joel Ward a clear lane to the net from down low on their first goal and Shea Weber snuck in back-door to tie the game at 2-2 where he received a clean goal-mouth pass.

Speaking of the Sharks’ White, he may still be adjusting to the team’s style of play as this game wasn’t his best. I noticed, when making breakout passes, he has a tendency to look east/west rather than getting the puck north on the near side. This got him in trouble a few times during the game but is nothing more than a problem with execution.

Antii Niemi wasn’t as busy as Rinne, only having to face 25 shots, but he made several amazing saves through traffic, including two crucial stops on a Nashville powerplay late in the 2nd period. Expect him to get a night off soon.

Dan Boyle might be ready to get back into the lineup against Vancouver on Thursday night having missed the last five games with an upper-body injury sustained in their game against Pittsburgh.

Nine of the Sharks’ fifteen games remaining will be at home.

In the wake of what was a quiet Trade Deadline day for San Jose, the Sharks announced yesterday that they have re-signed goaltender Antti Niemi to a 4-year contract extension. The deal is reportedly worth $3.8 million per year.

Niemi has been great since becoming the clear starter after Antero Niittymaki went down with an injury. Niemi has really turned his season around after a tough start boasting a 24-15-3 record with a 2.40 GAA and a .919 save percentage and is largely responsible for how well the Sharks have been playing of late.

I think this is a move Doug Wilson felt he had to make in part of the depleted goalie market in the NHL. Bringing Niemi back next season is a no brainer but the Niemi camp was probably looking for a long(er) term deal than having to go through something similar to last off-season. Four years is a bit excessive for me because this contract makes Niemi the only Shark signed through the 2014-2015 season. The price may be a little high as well but I guess Wilson has seen enough of his work ethic and capabilities from last post season to through his progression this season to lock him down as the team’s starter for the next four seasons.

The Sharks beat the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 in a shootout last night, extending their division lead over Phoenix to four points. Niemi was the game’s 1st star stopping 18 of 19 shots faced and not allowing a goal during the shootout. San Jose will host Detroit on Thursday night at HP Pavilion.

One thing is for sure, Doug Wilson understands the basic economic concept of supply and demand. NHL trade activity has picked up significantly over the passed week and we’re still over a week away from the February 28th trade-deadline.

The ever-present need for the Sharks to acquire a top four defenseman ended Friday receiving Ian White from the Carolina Hurricanes for a 2012 second-round draft pick. White, if you recall, began the season with the Calgary Flames but was traded to Carolina just sixteen games into the year. In 55 total games this season, White has 2 goals and 14 assists and brings a heavy shot plus puck-moving ability to the Sharks’ blueline.

Minutes before the deal, San Jose sent the oft-healthy scratch Derek Joslin to Carolina for a roll of sock tape and a used puck-bag future considerations. Only appearing in 17 games this season, Joslin will have more of an opportunity to crack an NHL lineup.

Possible defensemen being targeted by the Sharks began disappearing last week when Francois Beauchemin was (re)acquired by Anaheim and when Tomas Kaberle agreed to waive his no trade clause in a deal with Boston – though I’m uncertain if Wilson ever inquired about Kaberle’s availability. Nevertheless, with Eric Brewer going to Tampa Bay and Bryan McCabe drawing interest from teams, San Jose made a timely and efficient move to acquire a solid rearguard.

The recent tear of the Sharks has them seeded 5th in the Western Conference with 70 points, all five Pacific Division teams hold playoff positions as of the publish date of this post, and 7 points separate 3rd through 11th place. San Jose faces off against the tanking Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night before heading out on the road again for three more games.

A five game killing-spree for the San Jose Sharks has turned into a two-game slide for the club.

The Sharks, who will play their 7th and final game of this current road swing Tuesday night in Nashville, saw 3rd period leads disintegrate late against New Jersey and Florida. The losses by San Jose have created a log-jam in this standing-room-only Pacific Division.

Three points separate the division leading Stars and the “celler dweller” Kings with 68 and 65 points respectively. The Kings are the only team from the division currently not in the playoff picture but are tied in points with 8th seeded Minnesota. With Phoenix being the only active team tonight against the Capitals, they can take sole posession (at least for the evening) with a victory.

With the Trade Deadline two weeks away, San Jose is still in need of a top four, or even a top pairing, defensemen. With wide speculation of who might be on the move, Anaheim has (re-)acquired Francois Beauchemin from Toronto who was among the names of possibilities for the Sharks. The Kings are surely shopping for a top 6 forward while Dallas and Phoenix have internal salary caps to deal with.

After their game in Nashville, the Sharks will return home for two games against the Capitals and Avalanche before heading back out on the road for three games.

Don’t you just love this time of year?

When an NHL team is down 3-0 with under a minute left in the second period, Paul Bissonette has found the back of the net, and their backup with no NHL experience replaces the starter, the game is pretty much over right?

The San Jose Sharks had other plans last night as they mounted a comeback of epic proportions scoring 5 straight in a win over their division rivals, the Phoenix Coyotes. Phoenix’s tough guy and oft-healthy scratch, Paul Bissonnette, or Twitter aficionado @Biznasty2point0 (whichever you prefer) found the back of the net for the first time this season to put his team ahead 3-0 midway through the 2nd stanza. The goal chased Antti Niemi who stopped 24 of the 27 shots faced.

Enter Alex Stalock who’s been tremendous at the American League level for the Worcester Sharks but had yet to see any NHL action. Joe Pavelski made it a hockey game, getting his team on the board with 8 seconds left in the 2nd. If Pav doesn’t score there, the Coyotes probably win the game and I get to go to bed early.

Pavelski would score another early in the third to pull the Sharks within one. Kyle Wellwood, who actually began the year with Phoenix on a PTO before embarking on his KHL adventure full of borscht and tax-free money, scored to even the game at 3-3. Wellwood showed tremendous hand-eye coordination by batting the puck out of mid-air, off the pad of Bryzgolov, then out of mid-air a second time, and into the net.

Patrick Marleau, who was honored for his 1000th regular season game last night, showed his experience by stripping Kyle Turris of the puck to score a shorthanded goal that would prove to be the game-winner.

Captain Thornton would add an empty net goal to seal the deal for San Jose and Stalock stopped all 9 shots he faced to earn his first NHL victory.

I’m not going to dismiss the fact that the team played like complete garbage for close to 2/3 of the game but it’s wins like this that guys in the room can build on when facing some adversity.

Now 5-0-1 in their last six, the Sharks will travel to Anaheim tonight to face the Ducks. Logan Couture was a late scratch last night, apparently coming down with the flu. No word yet on if he will be in the lineup tonight.

The lone goal in the shootout by Joe Pavelski proves to be enough for the San Jose Sharks to win their third straight – and first against Vancouver this season – on Thursday night.

A slow start to the game saw the Sharks playing reaction-hockey while the Canucks dominated in puck possession and offensive zone time. The Canucks’ efforts paid off on a nifty passing play by the Sedin twins including a gorgeous one-handed finish by Henrik Sedin.

The Sharks played much better in the second period battling along the boards and in the corners, it felt like they were treating the contest as a playoff game.

Logan Couture would cash in on a Canuck turnover to tie the game at one goal apiece with his 21st of the season. Couture showed great fundamentals on the play by his stick positioning to cause the turnover, getting his head up for a quick shot on Luongo, and following his shot for a rebound opportunity.

The Sharks’ penalty kill was clutch throughout the night, particularly in the 3rd period where the team looked like they built offensive momentum after killing off several Canuck powerplays, including one during the overtime period.

Antti Niemi and Roberto Luongo put on a show stopping 36 and 45 shots respectively.

The Sharks now look to improve their win-streak to four as they’ll take on the Minnesota Wild at home Saturday night. The Sharks are 0-2-0 against the Wild this season with both of those games played in St. Paul.

Notes: Former San Jose Shark goaltender Evgeni Nabokov has signed a 1-yr deal with the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night. Nabokov is now on waivers which ends at noon ET on Saturday where any of the 29 other teams can place a claim on him. At a cap hit of $570,000 it seems highly unlikely that he’ll clear waivers and join the Red Wings.

Also noteworthy, after Antero Niittymaki was placed on IR after suffering an injury during the morning skate, the Sharks signed University of British Columbia’s goalie to a 1-game amateur tryout (ATO) to backup Niemi. Jordan White took part in the warm-up and sat on the bench during the game in what was sure to be a memorable experience for him.

As the San Jose Sharks are enjoying a two-game win streak, GM Doug Wilson made some moves to increase the team’s depth while posturing some future trade packages to acquire a defenseman.

San Jose traded away a fifth round pick in the upcoming draft to Atlanta for F Ben Eager. Eager’s grit and cup ring is surely the motivation behind the move and will make the Sharks a tougher team to play against.

Also acquired this morning was F Kyle Wellwood off of waivers from St. Louis. The Blues had signed Wellwood after his return from the KHL but was lost through waivers in the same fashion as Marek Svatos a couple weeks ago.

I think Doug Wilson is putting together a trade package, probably involving Devin Setoguchi and Torrey Mitchell for a defenseman once the trade deadline approaches.

After dropping six straight, the team saw wins against St. Louis and Phoenix and will now head to Vancouver to take on the Canucks who they are winless against this season.