San Jose Sharks

[Griff83]

This team is awesome. So much depth, such a talented blueline and very good goalie. Vlasic and Ehrhoff are prolly 2 of the more underrated young defencemen in the league. Setoguchi is turning into a impact player and Marleau has regained his prior form. Boyle is having a huge season and should be a good candidate for team canada in 2010. Blake has played well also and add in Lukowich and Murray make for solid #5/#6 defencemen. Clowe and Pavelski have really stepped up there play and have become very good second liners.

This team is stacked with impact players, great youth, size and speed and looks to be a great coach. They are unbeaten in regulation at home streak is now 22 games.

Sorry Wings fans, I dont think your repeating this season. Finally the Sharks will show in the playoffs and not choke.

[Mr Swagtastic]

Boston I think has been the best team so far they have done it with half the talent of the Sharkies and the Wings. The Wings and Sharks are damn good but Boston is 8-1-1 at home. They are playing like the Boston Bruins of the late 60's and mid 70's.

I think the Sharks are a elite powerhouse but I don't think they can make that big push for ring this year.

[Celtics_Champs]

^^ We'll see tonight. Wings @ Bruins, should be an awesome game. Big test for the bruins.

[Griff83]

Boston I think has been the best team so far they have done it with half the talent of the Sharkies and the Wings. The Wings and Sharks are damn good but Boston is 8-1-1 at home. They are playing like the Boston Bruins of the late 60's and mid 70's.

I think the Sharks are a elite powerhouse but I don't think they can make that big push for ring this year.

Boston has played really good but they have not been better then San Jose. San Jose has made both Detroit and Pittsburgh look silly already this season. Boston also plays in the Eastern conference while the Sharks play in the tougher West and a very tough Pacific division. Dont kid yourself San Jose is a better team then Boston.

You also contradrict yourself. You say the Sharks are a elite powerhouse but at the same time cant make a big push for a ring? If not them the only other team you can make a argument right now has a better chance is Detroit. The Sharks have a damn good chance at winning the cup this year.

[Griff83]

Boston has 34 pts having played 23 games
San Jose has 39pts having played 23 games

How can someone say Boston has been better?

Boston is 8-1-1 at home? Thats great, San Jose is 12-0-1 at home.

[timd1218]

If, and that's a big if, San Jose doesn't choke in the playoffs, they will play Detroit in the conference finals. Predicting that series will be impossible because Detroit is the defending champs, and they added Hossa in the offseason. Will be very difficult.

[timd1218]

And remember, this is just the regular season. The playoffs are a different game. Anything can happen.

The Rangers were predicted to go to the cup last year and how well did the end?

[Griff83]

And remember, this is just the regular season. The playoffs are a different game. Anything can happen.

The Rangers were predicted to go to the cup last year and how well did the end?

Ya but after watching the first half of the season or so you could tell the Rangers werent really legit. San Jose has always been skilled but didnt have a coach who was interested in developing offensively as a team. They are big, They can skate, They play tough, play solid defence and have a good goalie. Their additions of Boyle and Blake have been masterfull and Mcllelan has really got Ehrhoff and Vlasic playing great.

Id rank it like this right now

San Jose > Detroit > Boston

That could all change in a few months.

[Celtics_Champs]

If your ranking it right now.. then boston goes ahead of DET. They matched up head to head and boston won. Boston is also the hotter team.

Like you said though, that could change, and probably will..

[timd1218]

And remember, this is just the regular season. The playoffs are a different game. Anything can happen.

The Rangers were predicted to go to the cup last year and how well did the end?

Ya but after watching the first half of the season or so you could tell the Rangers werent really legit. San Jose has always been skilled but didnt have a coach who was interested in developing offensively as a team. They are big, They can skate, They play tough, play solid defence and have a good goalie. Their additions of Boyle and Blake have been masterfull and Mcllelan has really got Ehrhoff and Vlasic playing great.

Id rank it like this right now

San Jose > Detroit > Boston

That could all change in a few months.

That is all true, but come playoff time, I will still pick Detroit to beat them. The reasons:

1. Detroit knows how to win in the playoffs. They are the defending champs. Plus they added Hossa. San Jose has choked big time in the past.
2. It's hard to pick a team that hasn't proven anything in the playoffs against a team with the above said.

[Griff83]

If your ranking it right now.. then boston goes ahead of DET. They matched up head to head and boston won. Boston is also the hotter team.

Like you said though, that could change, and probably will..

Boston beat the Wings on a back to back on their home ice, if Boston was in Detroits building on a back to back I think you have a similar outcome but with the Wings winning. If those two teams played a 7 game series tomorrow, id still take the Wings to win it. When I rank those teams, I rank them in terms of the team who I think has the best chance at the cup. Right now San Jose has shown me not only to be the best team but they are playing with so much confidence and I attribute that to there new coach and the style he wants.

[Griff83]

And remember, this is just the regular season. The playoffs are a different game. Anything can happen.

The Rangers were predicted to go to the cup last year and how well did the end?

Ya but after watching the first half of the season or so you could tell the Rangers werent really legit. San Jose has always been skilled but didnt have a coach who was interested in developing offensively as a team. They are big, They can skate, They play tough, play solid defence and have a good goalie. Their additions of Boyle and Blake have been masterfull and Mcllelan has really got Ehrhoff and Vlasic playing great.

Id rank it like this right now

San Jose > Detroit > Boston

That could all change in a few months.

That is all true, but come playoff time, I will still pick Detroit to beat them. The reasons:

1. Detroit knows how to win in the playoffs. They are the defending champs. Plus they added Hossa. San Jose has choked big time in the past.
2. It's hard to pick a team that hasn't proven anything in the playoffs against a team with the above said.

Detroit has goaltending issues this season, Osgood hasnt been playing that great and Conklin isnt a guy you can count on to be a consistant #1. Adding Hossa is great but it basically wash's out when you factor in the shaky goaltending they are getting. Detroit is a great team and have dangerous players but the 2 worst possibly matchups for Detroit are San Jose and Anaheim. The reasons these two teams matchup well against the Wings is because of there size and physical brand of hockey. The year before last year the Sharks had the wings down and could have stepped on there throat in that playoff series but chocked.

Detroit was awesome last season in the cup run but they also were somewhat lucky to avoid both SJ/Ana in the playoffs because those series would have taken alot out of them physically, thats not to say Detroit would have lost, only that those two series were prolly worse matchups then any of the Nash, Col or Dallas series's. Yes Dallas beat SJ, but SJ matchups alot better against Detroit then Dallas does and same with Anaheim.

Im really not concerned with San Jose's recent history of choking in the playoffs, im more concerned with what I see when I watch all the top teams. Wilson did a horrible job at keeping his top players happy and numerous times put Marleau in the doghouse. Marleau is a totally different player this year under McLellan. When I watch the games they dominant the flow of the game more then any other team and they have the least amount of holes on there squad. Just look at there offensive depth-

Thornton - 26 points
Marleau - 26 points
Setoguchi - 27 points
Michalek - 16 points
Pavelski - 20 point
Clowe - 21 points
Grier- 10 points
Boyle - 21 points
Vlasic - 13 points
Blake - 20 points
Ehrhoff - 16 points

Thats some crazy deep team. Anyways its just my opinion but I think San Jose has a better team this season then Detroit but I can fully understand someone picking Detroit since they are the defending champs.

[burn1down]

Vegas thinks so too.

Before the start of the season, they were the 4th favorite at 9.5-1 (behind Det 5-1, Mon 6-1, Pitt 8-1). Now SJ has moved to 4-1

[RoyceDa59]

San Jose is a great team and a model franchise, unfortunately I think there problem lies with top line center and superstars, Joe Thornton. Come playoff time he likes to tuck his tail between his legs. He is a career choker, but I hope this year he proves otherwise because he such an amazing talent. I dont know how a guy with his size and skill can shy away from the front of the net and spend so much time along the side boards. Lets hope Marleau can take the leader role in the playoffs and let Thornton do his thing unnoticed because when the spot light is on him he tends to fade away (the reason why Boston traded him in the first place).

I'm rooting for them.

[Celtics_Champs]

If your ranking it right now.. then boston goes ahead of DET. They matched up head to head and boston won. Boston is also the hotter team.

Like you said though, that could change, and probably will..

Boston beat the Wings on a back to back on their home ice, if Boston was in Detroits building on a back to back I think you have a similar outcome but with the Wings winning. If those two teams played a 7 game series tomorrow, id still take the Wings to win it. When I rank those teams, I rank them in terms of the team who I think has the best chance at the cup. Right now San Jose has shown me not only to be the best team but they are playing with so much confidence and I attribute that to there new coach and the style he wants.

Ah... I see. I thought you were doing power rankings.

[Mr Swagtastic]

Detroit has the leadership to make a strong playoff push deep in the playoff's you got guys on your 3rd and 4th line who could be top 3 line players on most NHL teams. We have a strong coaching staff and I feel the best hockey minds in the biz. If it came down to Kenny Holland vs Burke for my GM I would take a guy who has given us 400+ wins since 1997, (add 50 for the lockout year), 67 post season wins, 8 Central Division titles, the President's Trophy 4 times and 4 cups in 11 years that quite impressive. He also made the best move last year by getting a top 10 talent in Hossa for nothing really then cap space. He's a guy that players love to play for players he stated that they would take a discount just to play in Detroit.

Just because your the best team in the NHL doesn't mean your the best playoff team and a cup fave. Ottawa had a stellar record a few years back and fell flat on their ass same with us a few years back with Calgary and Edmonton.

I am not taking anything away from San Jose they are a amazing team and with Thornton they are a powerhouse and they have some of the best role players in the NHL imho the best but I think Boston has been the best team in the league. Nobody expected them to be this good. They were picked as a bottom feeder in the East before the season started and have far exceeded what everyone has put out for them. They could make some serious noise this year and could be a sleeper. I think it will be a Pens and Wings final once again

[timd1218]

Detroit has the leadership to make a strong playoff push deep in the playoff's you got guys on your 3rd and 4th line who could be top 3 line players on most NHL teams. We have a strong coaching staff and I feel the best hockey minds in the biz. If it came down to Kenny Holland vs Burke for my GM I would take a guy who has given us 400+ wins since 1997, (add 50 for the lockout year), 67 post season wins, 8 Central Division titles, the President's Trophy 4 times and 4 cups in 11 years that quite impressive. He also made the best move last year by getting a top 10 talent in Hossa for nothing really then cap space. He's a guy that players love to play for players he stated that they would take a discount just to play in Detroit.

Just because your the best team in the NHL doesn't mean your the best playoff team and a cup fave. Ottawa had a stellar record a few years back and fell flat on their ass same with us a few years back with Calgary and Edmonton.

I am not taking anything away from San Jose they are a amazing team and with Thornton they are a powerhouse and they have some of the best role players in the NHL imho the best but I think Boston has been the best team in the league. Nobody expected them to be this good. They were picked as a bottom feeder in the East before the season started and have far exceeded what everyone has put out for them. They could make some serious noise this year and could be a sleeper. I think it will be a Pens and Wings final once again

I'm hoping this will happen again. The only thing that might keep that one from happening are injuries for the Pens. They just can't get away from the injury bug.

If this does happen, I will pray to god every night for the Pens to win in Pittsburgh and watching Hossa have to shake the Pens hands in Pittsburgh after they just beat him. Bitter sweet that would be.

[sh00n]

San Jose can own the regular season all they want; they'll just get screwed over again by the play of Average Joe Thornton once the playoffs come around.

[GswStorm3]

And remember, this is just the regular season. The playoffs are a different game. Anything can happen.

The Rangers were predicted to go to the cup last year and how well did the end?

Ya but after watching the first half of the season or so you could tell the Rangers werent really legit. San Jose has always been skilled but didnt have a coach who was interested in developing offensively as a team. They are big, They can skate, They play tough, play solid defence and have a good goalie. Their additions of Boyle and Blake have been masterfull and Mcllelan has really got Ehrhoff and Vlasic playing great.

Id rank it like this right now

San Jose > Detroit > Boston

That could all change in a few months.

That is all true, but come playoff time, I will still pick Detroit to beat them. The reasons:

1. Detroit knows how to win in the playoffs. They are the defending champs. Plus they added Hossa. San Jose has choked big time in the past.
2. It's hard to pick a team that hasn't proven anything in the playoffs against a team with the above said.

You're still underestimating the big underdog in this whole Det/SJ match up and that's Todd Mcllelan. He's knows everything about Mike Babcock and those players coaching under them for three years.

[GswStorm3]

San Jose can own the regular season all they want; they'll just get screwed over again by the play of Average Joe Thornton once the playoffs come around.

Ron Wilson's conservative defensive system was holding the sharks back in the playoffs. I think some of the Sharks doubters are going to find that out fast come playoff time.