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.

GM Doug Wilson traded scoring ability for speed and defense when he traded Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi for Brent Burns and Martin Havlat in two separate trades with the Minnesota Wild.

The Wild got a new hope for their team, especially early in the season when they were able to score at will while sitting at the top of the Western Conference for some time.

What the Sharks got was a failure to score goals, inept defense, miserable special teams and a giant headache.


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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 has been outplayed in near every facet of the game since Game 1, and even in that game the Blues were the victor in three of the five periods that night in St. Louis.

But with the Sharks struggling to get even the smallest things going for them—especially in Game 3—the team now needs to change things up because the Blues have entirely figured them out, and Sharks coach Todd McLellan knows that.

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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.


It was the Sharks' worst-played game so far in the series and one that significantly showed who is the overall better team, as San Jose was unable to get the puck past both the St. Louis defense and Brian Elliott, which led to the Blues bullying the Sharks into a deep hole in the series.  It is also one that looks impossible to climb out of.

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San Jose Sharks vs. St. Louis Blues: Sharks Still Have Advantage in 1-1 Series

The San Jose Sharks were outplayed by the defensive-minded St. Louis Blues on Saturday night, but the Sharks still have the Blues right where they want them in terms of winning the overall series.

The Sharks were shut-out by the Blues, 3-0, after San Jose was unable to
come back from a St. Louis goal less than two minutes into the game, which Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic had inadvertently guided into his own net.

The series now heads to San Jose with the two teams tied at one game apiece.

However, the Sharks still have the Blues exactly where they want them.

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San Jose Sharks vs. St. Louis Blues: What We Learned in Game 1 2OT Thriller

Outplayed for nearly the entirety of the four periods leading up to the second overtime, the San Jose Sharks managed to steal a win in St. Louis, winning 3-2 on a Martin Havlat game-winning slap-shot on Thursday night.

The Sharks shook off a first overtime period in which they were aggressively outmatched by the Blues, who controlled the puck throughout the entirety of the third period, as well as the first overtime period.  St. Louis out-shot the Sharks 14-6 during that time, but were not able to find the back of the net.

However, the Sharks were, turning a game which seemed like they would inevitably lose into a win against a team that lost at home only six times in regulation during the regular season.

Here are five things we learned about the series heading into Game 2.

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NHL Playoffs 2012: The Sharks Have More to Worry About Than Blues' Goalie Tandem

The San Jose Sharks will be matched up against St. Louis Blues' goalie Jaroslav Halak when their first-round series gets underway on Thursday night in St. Louis. However, for the Sharks, it does not matter who suits up in net for the Blues — there are far bigger problems they must deal with first.

The Blues named Halak their starter for Game 1 after fellow goalie Brian Elliott left practice earlier this week with upper body pain. Up until then, it was not confirmed as to who would start the series between the pipes for St. Louis. The Elliott injury made it perfectly clear, though — Halak is the starter until further notice.

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2012 NHL Playoffs: San Jose Sharks vs. St. Louis Blues Series Preview & Predictions

After years of the San Jose Sharks entering the Stanley Cup Playoffs as a favorite, the Sharks now face the test of being the underdog in a series little expect them to win.

A season with so many ups-and-downs and twists-and-turns left San Jose in a struggle down the stretch of the season just to make the playoffs.  Jobs may or may not have been threatened, players' names may or may not have been thrown in the trade mill and the entire franchise may or may not be headed for reconstruction.


One thing is for sure -- the Sharks are in the playoffs with little to lose and everything to gain.  A playoff position they have not found themselves in for a long time.

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