Come postseason time, it is often the hottest team in the league that outlasts all the others. At this point in the season, the San Jose Sharks have risen as the team to beat. They are firing on all cylinders and are trying to make a final push toward taking over the No. 1 seed in the West from the Detroit Red Wings. If they succeed, they will likely win the President's Trophy as the team with the most points accumulated in the regular season.
The Sharks have been a streaky team all season. They have ridden the highs and lows, and right now, they are on one of their best streaks of the year. Beginning with a Feb. 21 win over the Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose has gone 14-0-2 in its last 16 games and has racked up 30 of a possible 32 points in that span. The team tallied its 100th point of the season Tuesday night following a shootout victory against the Phoenix Coyotes.
The Sharks have been a solid team for the past four seasons. In 2005, they felt as if they were slipping, but they regained their composure by trading for Joe Thornton, who went on to win the Hart Trophy for league MVP that season.
Since that time, Thornton has taken the team to another level. Alongside Patrick Marleau and Jonathan Cheechoo, Thornton will prove to be a very difficult line to stop come playoff time if Cheechoo can recover from his recent neck injury. Thornton is having another stellar year leading his team in goals, assists and points, and is on pace for another 100-point campaign.
San Jose's defense and goaltending have also been bright spots. They acquired All-Star defenseman Brian Campbell from the Buffalo Sabres at the trade deadline, and he is starting to acclimate to his surroundings. The story of the year for the Sharks, however, may just be the emergence of Evgeni Nabokov as an elite goaltender.
Nabokov has been a proverbial brick wall in net, starting 72 of a possible 76 games so far. His phenomenal numbers - which include a 43-20-8 record and a 2.16 goals-against average - have entered him into the conversation for the Vezina Trophy, awarded annually to the league's best goaltender.
The only question at this point is whether or not everyone will stay healthy. Cheechoo has been banged up as of late, and the only time Nabokov played in more than 67 games in a season was six years ago. Nabokov is on pace to start 78 games for the Sharks and if they go far in the postseason, he could be pushing the 100-game mark. Fatigue could definitely become a major factor for the Sharks.
San Jose's recent stretch, however, has given the team a swagger that is necessary for the playoffs. There can only be one winner, and the San Jose Sharks could be that team. They are looking to jump to the next level after three consecutive disappointing early exits from the playoffs and win their first Stanley Cup in the team's 17-year history.
This year, they just might have what it takes.
