San Jose Sharks Season Wrap-Up: The Good, Bad and Ugly of 2011-12

What do you say after a team with that much hype and that much talent fails to make a dent in the NHL playoffs?


Changes are coming in San Jose, and only a couple players are untouchable.


The 2011 offseason gave San Jose reason for hope, in terms of overcoming the hurdle that is the Western Conference Finals.

NHL Playoffs 2012: Changing Up Lines Is Only Answer for San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks are just one game behind the St. Louis Blues in the best-of-seven series, but then why does it seem like the Sharks are in desperation mode and struggling to stay in this series?

San Jose Sharks vs. St. Louis Blues: What We've Learned in First 3 Games of 2-1 Series

Through the first three games of the San Jose Sharks/St. Louis Blues series, two things are for certain -- the Blues' defense has a strangle-hold on the outcome of this series, and the Sharks will need several things to go their way to overcome that.

The Blues took a seemingly commanding 2-1 lead in the series by beating the Sharks in San Jose on Monday night.

San Jose Sharks: Reasons Why the Team Is Playing Playoff Hockey

You can call it desperation, or you can call it panic, but the San Jose Sharks are playing terrific hockey right now.  It just happens to be at the exact right time, as well, as the Sharks are in an ever-changing playoff scenario with five other teams to make the NHL playoffs.

NHL Trade Rumors: Predictions For the San Jose Sharks' Before the Trade Deadline

With so many rumors headed San Jose's way this past week, it is important to understand the logistics of the Sharks' trading situation and what the odds are that GM Doug Wilson comes through in the clutch and solidifies this team for a playoff push.

This weekend can go two ways for the San Jose Sharks.  Wilson can make a change on the top two lines

San Jose Sharks: Injuries, Power Play Plaguing Team in January

If it is not one thing, it is another for the San Jose Sharks this month.

After an up-and-down December 2011, the team finally got back on the winning track, claiming victories in seven of their first nine games of 2012. That was soon followed

San Jose Sharks: Predicting the Offensive Starting Lines at Season's End

With all the ups and downs the San Jose Sharks have gone through this season, it is intriguing to see how this team will finish the season. Even with all the line changes and injuries, San Jose is still one of the better teams in the Western Conference and competing nearly every night for the top spot in the Pacific division.

5 New Year's Resolutions for the San Jose Sharks

For what it is worth, the San Jose Sharks 2011-12 season has not gone according to plan, to say the least. New players and lousy play in many aspects of the game have caused inconsistency in the win column for a team that was supposed to breeze through another regular season unscathed.

San Jose Sharks: 5 Players That Deserve to Play in the 2012 NHL All-Star Game, But Will Not

As it stands now, the San Jose Sharks will have a hard time getting one of their players into the 2012 NHL All-Star Game.

Currently, the most likely scenario would be Dan Boyle and Brent Burns earning defenseman spots on the Western Conference

San Jose Sharks: 5 Players Projected For Big Seasons So Far

The San Jose Sharks are not off to the most ideal start at 4-3-0 through the first two weeks of the season. However, we can still get a good look of how this team will fair come mid-season and further.

The roster is stacked head-to-toe with talented players seeking a shot at the Cup and this season is as good as ever for this franchise to win one.

Opening Night 2011 LIVE: San Jose Sharks vs. Phoenix Coyotes

The crazy NHL offseason for the San Jose Sharks has taken us to this destination, Opening Night 2011 at HP Pavilion with a whole different brigade of players in tonight's starting line-up. The Sharks and Wild love affair this offseason sent Dany Heatley and Devin

5 Most Important Players For the San Jose Sharks This Upcoming Season

The 2011-12 season is an extremely important one for not only the players on the roster but the entire franchise as a whole. Time is ticking on this team, the talent on it and the front office that have made all the right moves but have nothing to show for it.

San Jose Sharks: Updating the Projected Starting Lines For the 2011-12 Season

The San Jose Sharks will be playing a whole new brand of hockey when they take the ice in October. GM Doug Wilson has completely turned this team around from a Stanley Cup contender to, well, a Stanley Cup contender, just in a different sense.

To recap, the Sharks traded Devin Setoguchi and Dany Heatley for Martin Havlat and Brent Burns in two separate deals with the Minnesota Wild this offseason.

San Jose Sharks: Breaking Down the Projected Starting Lines in 2011-12

It is no secret that the San Jose Sharks have been active this offseason. The black and teal traded wingers Devin Setoguchi and Dany Heatley in exchange for All-Stars Brent Burns and Martin Havlat in two separate deals with the Minnesota Wild.

Why attempt to fix something that is not considered broken?

Ask Sharks GM Doug Wilson, who seems determined to put together the exact pieces for yet another Stanley Cup run next season.

San Jose Sharks: 3 Ways the Culture in San Jose MUST Change

Another year, another late round exit for the San Jose Sharks. The team from the South Bay came up short in the playoffs yet again, falling to the Vancouver Canucks in the Western Conference Finals. This coming after a 2010 that ended in much the same way, when the Sharks were swept by the Chicago Blackhawks.

Many teams would be happy with back-to-back Conference Finals, but it is all too familiar for the people of San Jose, who continue to see their team play tremendous hockey during the regular season, only to come up short in the playoffs.

2011 NHL Playoffs: San Jose Sharks vs. L.A. Kings Series Preview & Predictions

Imagine you walk into the HP Pavilion on Thursday night. A sea of teal and black cover the arena except for the rectangle of freshly zambonied ice that is the center of attention for the next three hours.

The lights go black and Metallica's Seek and Destroy fills the stadium as Antti Niemi leads the team from out of the shark's mouth just as he has done numerous times this season.

The lights return and the National Anthem begins.

"Oh, say can you see..."

Chants of "Beat LA!" suddenly ring from the upper level of the right side of the arena.

It is playoff time in San Jose.

NHL Playoffs: No One Tell Joe Thornton It Is Playoff Time

We've seen it before. The San Jose Sharks have an amazing regular season and hopes are high heading into the NHL playoffs.

There's too many weapons on this team to fail, right?

Wrong.

The NHL playoffs are a bigger beast and big names tend to crumble during this time, especially if they're wearing a Sharks jersey, or so history claims.

The perfect example of a big name becoming miniscule when the lights are on them is Joe Thornton.

Beat LA: 4 Reasons the Los Angeles Kings Are the Most Favorable Match-Up For the San Jose Sharks

In a final weekend of the NHL season that can only be described as "nutty," some teams got the match-up they wanted in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and others did not. I will gladly insert the San Jose Sharks into the "match-up they wanted" category for several reasons.

The Sharks will play the Los Angeles Kings in the 1st round of the NHL Playoffs that will start in San Jose at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

From a distance, the Kings may be the most favorable match-up in the entire Western Conference playoff picture for the Sharks.

5 Reasons the San Jose Sharks Can Break the Curse and Reach the Stanley Cup Finals

When you think about curses in sports, what teams do you think about?

The Chicago Cubs? Cleveland sports? The late Red Sox before they won it all? Maybe the Detroit Lions or Toronto Maple Leafs?

How about the San Jose Sharks?

You wouldn't think it because of all the NHL playoff appearances and being legitimate Stanley Cup favorites year in and year out, but the Sharks are cursed.

Cursed by what?

There's a new one every year.

San Jose Sharks: 3 Questions That Need To Be Answered Before The Playoffs

With only 11 games left in the 2010-11 NHL season, the San Jose Sharks sit in third place in the Western Conference behind the Detroit Red Wings and Vancouver Canucks.

Despite that, the Sharks still do not sit in such a comfortable position. In fact, no team in that conference does, except maybe Vancouver. The Sharks are just eight points away from the 9th spot in the conference and not making the playoffs.

With three weeks to go, the Sharks sit pretty, but not too pretty.

Still, there are questions surrounding this team.