Sharks Still in Hunt for President's Trophy

Tuesday night the San Jose Sharks improved their record over the last 20 games to 18-0-2, a .950 winning percentage, with a 5-2 victory over their beleagured rivals, the Los Angeles Kings.

It was not pretty at first; the Sharks struggled to score until there were only 11 seconds left in the first period, and gave up a short-handed goal just 57 seconds into the second period. They answered on the same power play, but gave up a goal to grinder Raitis Ivanans less than five minutes later.

From that point, they remembered that the Kings may have the worst record in the league, but they have been playing better of late and are, after all, an NHL team. More to the point, one reason they have struggled is that they are in the second best division in the league. (The Northeast and Atlantic are technically a few percentage points better, but they benefitted from playing 15 more games each against the Southeast than the Pacific teams did.)

Even more to the point, the Kings have had a lot of success this year against the Sharks, having won all three previous games this season at HP Pavillion, so the trap was predictable.

The important thing is that San Jose turned it on when they needed to. The first line got back to normal with about six minutes to go in the second, with Joe Thornton dishing out the assists rather than scoring the goals. Ryan Clowe also got an assist on that goal; he has one in both games since returning from a knee injury that had kept him sidelined over five months.

Early in the third period Curtis Brown added his fourth goal since his return late last month from a broken hand, and Brian Campbell added another power play goal late. Campbell has a point in all but two games since joining the Sharks.

While they will not be able to play like this in the play-offs, it is understandable they would not be up for this game. Perhaps it will help them see how precarious even the league's hottest streak is.

Wilson has said he plans to sit Nabokov for the game Thursday against the Kings, and play him in the season finale against Dallas to make sure he is rested but sharp. Nabokov is perched to tie the record Martin Brodeur set last year for wins if he can come out on top in each of the next two games, but Wilson has smartly put the play-offs ahead of Nabby's position in the record books. Only Grant Fuhr has ever played more than the 77 games Nabby would have to play to get that record.

However, after the Red Wings loss tonight to the Blackhawks, 6-2, kept the President's Trophy a possibility for San Jose, he may want to rethink that strategy. The Sharks have been mediocre on home ice and lights-out on the road, but the prospect of making one less trip to Detroit (three time zones away) if the two teams meet should give one pause.

Furthermore, the Wings' last game should be over, or at least nearly so, by the time the puck drops for the Sharks' finale. Thus, Wilson could always sit Nabby on Sunday's finale should the Wings earn a point in either of their remaining two games or the Sharks fail to win Thursday.

His thought was that it would be better to rest Nabby for a couple days now and let him play on Sunday five days after his last game, rather than have him less sharp in the post-season, when it could be six days since his last game.  Brian Boucher has also been outstanding in net since the Sharks signed him, never giving up more than one goal in the four games he has played, so there is confidence he will get the win.

Therefore, expect Wilson to play it safe and put Boucher in; the chance of Detroit losing two more in regulation against the weak central division opponents and the Sharks winning their last two both happening are slim.

The main concern the Sharks should have is knowing who to prepare for in the first round. Right now, it looks like either Colorado or Calgary, but could be Nashville (that would be the third year in a row) or Vancouver. Whoever it is will be a tough match-up, but the pressure will be on the Sharks to deliver as heavy favourites.

Nashville looks overmatched but is scrappy and will have a chip on their shoulder. Vancouver is playing poorly but has an amazing netminder and a dangerous line that could wake up.

Calgary has one of the top five blue lines in the league, a goaltender who despite a slow start has begun once again to carry the team, and one of the best players in the league in Jerome Iginla. Colorado has the experience and talent among their skaters if they can stay healthy, and two goaltenders in case one of them falters.

In all likelihood, they will face either Anaheim, Colorado, or Calgary in the second round, and that's when we will find out if the Campbell trade was worth it.