1st round playoffs

[koblix]

Who do you guys want to play in the 1st round? I say anyone but Chicago....

 

[li0lsh]

edmonton

 

[Destroydacre]

edmonton

lol


I really don't care. No one is going to be an easy matchup. Dallas, Anaheim, Chicago, LA, Calgary, Phoenix, Nashville none of them would be easy to play against. The Sharks playing at their best can beat every one of them in a 7 games series, but you never know what will happen. All of them could knock the Sharks out as well. So I'm not gonna worry about it, whoever they get is fine with me.

 

[Cbrower91]

doesnt matter, they can still miss them. Also they are going to have face any team in the playoffs.

That being said LA or Anahiem seem to be the 2 worst match ups due to their speed

 

[sjrules99]

anyone but chicago. They hot right now after a slow start and extremely skilled. Their D is still arguably the best in the league with keith, seabrook, campbell, and hjalmarsson as their top four and with the emergence of bickell and frolik, they have their 3rd line depth back (not quite as good as byfuglien, ladd, and versteeg, but still pretty good). And, crawford has really solidified their goaltending.

I dont mind anyone else. LA is a little scary as is always anaheim. I would most prefer nashville. Though dallas would be nice as would phoenix. Really though, everyone is pretty scary is the sharks dont show up, so we'll see...

 

[Cmon_WTF]

No Chicago, LA, Phoenix, Nashville, or Dallas.

 

[Cbrower91]

No Chicago, LA, Phoenix, Nashville, or Dallas.

this is the first time on a long time I can honestly say that there really isn't a super scarey team in the bottom 4

 

[Cmon_WTF]

this is the first time on a long time I can honestly say that there really isn't a super scarey team in the bottom 4

For whatever reason Dallas has been a thorn in the side of the Sharks this year, Tippett's style game is a Shark killer, and LA is a solid all around team that can play a very physical game. With the Sharks small defense that physicality could take a huge toll.

 

[Cbrower91]

For whatever reason Dallas has been a thorn in the side of the Sharks this year, Tippett's style game is a Shark killer, and LA is a solid all around team that can play a very physical game. With the Sharks small defense that physicality could take a huge toll.

I can't say completely disagree with you on dallas, but they aren't a sure bet to make it if lehotinin starts to struggle. the kings however I disagree, they can't keep the puck out of thier net.

Quick looks warn down again and bernier isn't as good as he.was projected to be. they are a mess in their own end as well.

 

[Cmon_WTF]

I can't say completely disagree with you on dallas, but they aren't a sure bet to make it if lehotinin starts to struggle. the kings however I disagree, they can't keep the puck out of thier net.

Quick looks warn down again and bernier isn't as good as he.was projected to be. they are a mess in their own end as well.

They're 6th in the league in GAA. I'd say they do a fair job at keeping the puck out of their net. Quick has looked a little off from fatigue lately but Bernier has been playing extremely well as his replacement. Well see. Looking at all the possible bottom four seeds I can't really say I think there is a good match-up for the Sharks at all.

 

[RaiderZar]

We've owned the Preds in the PO's for the last few years. If we gotta play anyone, let it be them.

 

[sjrules99]

chicago is the only team below SJ that gives me nightmares. They dominated last year, and dominated the sharks last game, and I disregard the sharks early wins cuz chicago was just off their game. But they've been really good since the AS break and look like the old chicago.

Phoenix, dallas, and Nashville all play hard but none can match anywhere near the talent level, none is proven in the PO's, and none has a really scary defense (like the lidstrom-rafalski used to be, or the chicago top 4, vancouver's depth, or like pronger-neidermeyer used to be...), though nashville's is formidable but their forwards are so weak.

That leaves LA, ANA and CHI as the 3 scary ones. ANA and CHI have owned the sharks in the PO's and have proven performers so those two pose the scariest pair, though anaheim's D is not all that good and they have little depth, so they scare me less. LA has minimal forward depth as williams is out for the year. That leaves a top 3 of kopitar-brown- smyth which is pretty good but not dominant and even their next 3 of Stoll, Handzus, simmonds is not all too good for a 2nd line. Their 3rd line would have noone with more than 7 goals on the season, so they arent too deep. Their D can score, but after doughty, they arent all that great with Johnson good offensively but weak defensively and noone else with more than 14 points. Lastly, they are totally unproven in the postseason, aside from a few guys like scuderi. As such, LA is not all that intimidating to me.

That pretty much leaves just chicago as the fearsome matchup as they have the scoring depth at forward, great depth on D, solid goaltending, and obvious playoff and big pressure history of success.

I'd rather face detroit than chicago, which is why I hope the west goes Van-SJ-Det- CHI as 1 through 4. If that happens, then it's like that chicago and vancouver will matchup in the 2nd round which would be ideal for the sharks. Either that or Van-Det-SJ as 1-3 with chicago 8th, so they match up with vancouver in the 1st round, then if chicago wins, they face detroit in the 2nd. Perhaps that arrangement would be the best one. Anything but a 1st round matchup is fine with me!

 

[RaiderZar]

With 2- 3 games left, here's what I would like to see:
Dallas win all 3 to end in 7th
Ducks win 1 to end in 8th
Hawks only beat Wings, to end in 9th (if it's based on wins, they finish behind Quacks)

I think we handle Dallas about as well as anyone. West is tough, top to bottom this year. This all hinges on Sharks finishing ahead of Wings. :charlie:

 

[filosofy29]

Here's who I'd want to face in order:

1.) Phoenix - we just seem to have their number. I know that can change in the playoffs, but at least it would be nice to have that confidence and also play against a team who struggles to score.

2.) Los Angeles - a month ago I wouldn't have said this. However, due to the loss of Anze Kopitar and possibly Jason Williams, they aren't quite as scary anymore.

3.) Anaheim - they're a little scarier than Nashville in my eyes, but the travel would be much, much less. Nashville and Anaheim can both wear you out on the ice, but Anaheim is approx. 2000 miles closer. Plus, I figure the Sharks have to exorcise some of their demons anyway.

Only team in the bottom that truly frightens me is Chicago. Well, them and the Playoffs in general

 

[Cbrower91]

the only way any of the bottom 4 scare me is if the team turns into zombies, and the fast ones not the lumbering slow kind

 

[bdave]

Don't want to play the ducks! They are dream killers

 

[Cbrower91]

Dont read to much into this game in those regards, the ducks played as good as they could possibly play and the sharks didnt even show up.

 

[bdave]

I agree Kork on that but the Ducks are one of those teams the sharks have a tough time handling. Somebodies got to sucker punch Perry out of the playoffs and we'll be in business

 

[SJVP408]

Please no CHI in the first round. I'd rank my preference in this order.

1) PHX - Sharks have been lighting up Bryz lately. PHX has a decent all around team but no standout strength imo.

2) LA - Missing their top C and their top producing winger and it's obvious with the way they've been struggling to score. Plus we can finally have a SJ vs LA meeting in the playoffs which has been long overdue.

3) ANA - Their defense and goaltending does not scare me. Great top line and Teemu on the second, but that's not enough for me to think they can beat the Sharks in a 7 game series.

4) DAL - Strong down the middle and good all around D corp. I consider them suspect in goal. They always play the Sharks tough and that won't change in the POs.

5) NAS - Very good goaltending and defense with minimal offensive depth, yet they get it done with a different hero every night. They have a few bones to pick with the Sharks due to past POs. They do scare me, but not as much as..

5) CHI - Reasons have been mentioned already. Great top two lines, awesome top two pairings. Defending champs.

 

[koblix]

IMO, anyone but no Ducks and Hawks....to me that this is a year that we would love to play the Wings than Ducks and Hawks