The Sharks and the Kings are going to be playing their third playoff series in history, starting on April 17th in San Jose. After being knocked out in game seven of last year’s heated series, the Sharks are seeking revenge against their hated rivals. There are two things that stood out in last year’s series; The team that scores first won every game, and the home team won every game. LA’s home ice last year, was what ultimately won them the series. This year, the Sharks will have home ice advantage, and they will hope to turn the tides on the Kings.

One key thing that many Sharks fans should be excited about, is the return of forwards Tomas Hertl and Raffi Torres. Though Torres’ return has not been confirmed yet, it has been mentioned on several occasions by Todd McClellan and his coaching staff. Torres was suspended for the entirety of the series last playoffs, after a controversial hit on Kings forward Jarret Stoll. Torres’ energy and physical play was removed from the remainder of the series, and the Sharks definitely struggled in that aspect of their game after the loss. If he does make his return, he will most definitely be an x-factor going into the series. In addition, Tomas Hertl, the sensational young rookie, returned to the lineup last Friday against the Avalanche, and had a solid game creating multiple scoring opportunities. He also played on Saturday at Phoenix, which means that he has not had any problems with fatigue or getting back to game-speed. These two players weren’t apart of the series last year, and they will certainly provide a spark for the entire team.

Another thing to focus on is the goaltender situation in San Jose. Last Wednesday night, Antti Niemi was pulled from the net after allowing three “soft” goals for his standards. Alex Stalock was put in, and he ended up finishing the game. Due to Niemi’s bad performance in Anaheim, the Sharks were unable to remain in the hunt for the Pacific Division title. Alex Stalock started the next game, a home game against Colorado, where he only allowed one goal and made 32 saves. The impressive outing by Stalock undeniably put the pressure on Niemi to perform in their next game. Niemi started the final game of the season, at Phoenix, where he allowed two goals, but ended up making 30 big saves in total. I believe that the Sharks’ starting net minder will be the former Stanley Cup Champion, Antti Niemi. That being said, coach Todd McLellan will not hesitate to replace Niemi with Stalock if he struggles. Both goalies have had excellent years, and either case could be argued.

Both teams have had excellent seasons overall, the Sharks with 51 wins, and the Kings with 46 wins, but both teams have also struggled a bit as of late. The Kings lost their star defenseman Drew Doughty in the Sharks-Kings last meeting, and they have only been able to come up with one win since then. After a great return from the Olympic break, the Sharks have managed a mediocre record of 5-4-1 in their last ten games. In addition, three of their five losses were to non-playoff teams. So both teams have had their issues as of late, but they will certainly be looking to put them all behind them.

At the end of the day, no statistic or number is going to predict the outcome of this series. It is going to be a hard-fought, long, physical series. Each team will have their highs and lows. I am certainly looking forward to it.