Herzlich Willkommen » ng to a report from USA Today. “I hope to play

With the NHL regular season right around the corner, TSN.ca profiles each team leading up to puck drop. Next up are the San Jose Sharks, a team reeling after they blew a three-games-to-none first-round lead over the eventual Cup winners from Los Angeles. Catch up on their summer moves and the issues they face this season, as well as Craig Buttons analysis of their top prospect and an analytical breakdown by TSNs Scott Cullen. Division: Pacific GM: Doug Wilson Head Coach: Todd McLellan 2013-14: 51-22-9 (2nd in Pacific) Playoffs: Lost in conference quarter-finals Goals For: 239 (6th) Goals Against: 193 (5th) Powerplay: 17.2% (20th) Penalty Kill: 84.9% (6th) That Was Then: The Sharksa€? 2013-14 regular season was a roaring success. Rookie Tomas Hertl got the party started on Oct. 8, scoring four goals in his third NHL game, capping the night off with one of the goals of the year. That win came as part of a six-game winning streak to start the year. The Sharks rolled through October, finishing the month 10-1-2. The regular season rolled on in similar fashion. The Sharksa€? only real spot of trouble came in December when they lost six of eight between the 5th and the 19th. Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau provided their usual strong play, both reaching 70 points or more. Joe Pavelski was a revelation, scoring a career-high 41 goals. That mark was good for third in the league. The Sharks made the playoff s for their 10th consecutive season, topping 100 points for the seventh time over that span. Though unable to chase down the Anaheim Ducks for first in the Pacific Division, the Sharks enjoyed a strong finish, buoyed by the aforementioned trio as well as Logan Couture. Then came the playoffs and a creepy, familiar feeling. The Sharks roared out to a 3-0 series lead over their state rivals from Los Angeles but were unable to finish them off. Out-gunned 6-3 in Game 4, the Sharks let the Kings get off the mat. Jonathan Quick shut the door from there, allowing just two total goals over the final three games. The Sharks became just the fourth team in NHL history to blow a 3-0 lead. One storyline that emerged from the collapse was a lack of faith in goaltender Antti Niemi. The former Cup-winner was pulled in Games 4 and 5, leading the Sharks to start back-up Alex Stalock in Game 6. The team went back to Niemi in Game 7 but by that point momentum was clearly with the Kings. Scott Cullens Analytics Predators 2013-14 Stats by Quarter Games GPG GAA SH% SV% SAF% PTS% 1-20 3.50 2.05 8.5% .928 56.1% .775 21-41 2.86 2.76 7.4% .919 54.0% .643 42-62 2.33 2.19 6.3% .917 54.8% .619 63-82 3.00 2.35 7.8% .925 54.3% .675 NHL AVG 2.67 2.67 7.8 .922 50.0% .562 Key: GPG= goals per game, GAA= goals-against per game, SH%= even-strength shooting percentage, SV%= even-strength save percentage, SAF%= score-adjusted Fenwick percentage (differential of shot attempts faced vs. shot attempts, excluding blocked shots, adjusted for game score), PTS%= percentage of available points. Analysis: Games 1-20: Sensational start to the year; dominant in all aspects. Games 21-41: A 5-1 shootout record, and strong possession, inflated the record of otherwise mediocre play. Games 42-62: Solid possession kept Sharks winning during low-scoring stretch. Games 63-82: Percentages bounced back and Sharks finished the regular season strong. Key Additions: LW Tye McGinn, LW John Scott Key Subtractions: D Dan Boyle, RW Martin Havlat, LW John McCarthy, D Brad Stuart This Is Now: The Sharks need more than regular season success. Since acquiring Thornton from Boston, the Sharks have won four division titles, made the playoffs every year and have won at least one series in six of their nine trips. Thornton himself has posted 740 points in 675 career games with the Sharks and a€“ believe it or not a€“ ranks 20th amongst active NHLers in playoff points-per-game over that span, ahead of the likes of Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Corey Perry and Justin Williams. Yet, he finds himself stripped of his captaincy entering this season. Another long-time Sharks vet is gone entirely, as Dan Boyle joined the New York Rangers as an unrestricted free agent. The teama€?s focus may be shifting towards Pavelski and Couture and away from Marleau and Thornton, who have endured all of the playoff disappointments suffered since the 2005-06. However, the two remain not only parts of the team, but integral cogs in its offence. The team has enjoyed a lot of regular season success under the current regime, but how much time is left on the clock in San Jose for the likes of Thornton, Marleau, GM Doug Wilson and coach Todd McLellan. DEPTH CHART Forwards Left Wing Centre Right Wing Tomas Hertl Joe Thornton Joe Pavelski Patrick Marleau Logan Couture Tommy Wingels Matt Nieto James Sheppard Tyler Kennedy Tye McGinn Andrew Desjardins Mike Brown John Scott Adam Burish Freddie Hamilton Barclay Goodrow Chris Tierney Raffi Torres Defence Left Right Marc-Edouard Vlasic Brent Burns Matt Irwin Justin Braun Scott Hannan Jason Demers Mirco Mueller Taylor Fedun Konrad Abeltshauser Dylan DeMelo Goaltenders Antti Niemi Alex Stalock Troy Grosenick Craigs List TSN Director of Scouting Craig Buttons Top Prospect: Mirco Mueller Like a fine Swiss watch, there is a precision to Mircoa€?s game. Positioning is sound but it is predicated on the understanding of how to best position yourself to take advantage in the game. Defensively, he becomes very difficult to break down. He recognizes opportunities to transition and with a strong skating base, very good awareness and vision along with pin point passing, he is able to alleviate pressure quickly and allow his team to move forward and attack. He has a subtlety to his competitiveness in that he moves opponents off their marks in a manner that looks like he is a€?body glide.a€? His game shows signs of being able to expand which would move him from category of very solid player to top two defenseman. Fantasy - Cullens Player to Watch - Brent Burns Given how effective Burns has been as a forward with the Sharks, its fair to be skeptical of his move back to defence, but hes been productive in the past while playing on the blue line. Last season brought a career-high 48 points for Burns, playing on Joe Thorntons wing, but hes had 46 and 43-point seasons playing defence for the Minnesota Wild. The Sharks lost their primary puck-mover from defence, Dan Boyle, to free agency, so there ought to be ample opportunity for Burns to play big minutes and find the score sheet enough along the way. Aleksander Barkov Jersey . Toronto FC hosts the three-time Italian league champions in a friendly Aug. 7 at BMO Field, a game that Roma CEO Italo Zanzi said falls within a key part of their pre-season. Florida Panthers Jerseys .com) - Patrick Reed poured in a 19-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole Monday to defeat Jimmy Walker and win the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. http://www.hockeypanthersofficialonline.com/evgenii-dadonov-hockey-jersey/ . "Weve given ourselves now a tougher task," said Carlyle after the Friday practice, the Toronto head coach notably chipper and upbeat throughout. "But the bottom line is we just have to win our share of games [and] not worry about what anybody else is doing. Custom Florida Panthers Jerseys . Orlandos Glen Davis tried to get in the way, only to be driven back into the padding under the basket as the Pelicans forward slammed home a windmill jam. Vincent Trocheck Jersey . LUCIE, Fla.Its the quiet period for news in the NFL, but one of the leagues biggest headline makers is doing his best to liven things up for fans waiting for training camps to open. Seattle Seahawks superstar Richard Sherman, widely considered to be the leagues top cornerback, is carrying his war of words with Michael Crabtree into the off-season. Appearing on Discovery Channels debut episode of American Muscle, Sherman picked up his riff with Crabtree right where it left off in last years NFC Championship game. “Its not going to be something that goes away,” Sherman said of his feud with Crabree, according to a report from USA Today. “I hope to play him every year for the rest of my career and choke him out. Theres not much else I can say about the subject. Nobody will understand it but him and me. Thats all that needs to understaand.dddddddddddd” Sherman stole some of the spotlight of Seattles NFC Championship win over the San Francisco 49ers with a post-game rant directed at Crabtree, a wide receiver for the 49ers. The two had been matchup up at points during the game and Sherman broke up a potential game-winning pass to Crabtree in the end zone with just seconds left on the clock. For his part, Crabtree isnt biting back, saying hes tired of the off-field issues making news. "Ive been doing this for a while," Crabtree told ESPN. "Ive been playing, Ive been to the top of the totem pole since high school. So its nothing new to me." “When I win, its no hoorah. Im not yelling. But like I said, Im getting [tired of] talking about these guys. I concentrate on football.” The Seahawks and 49ers first play November 27 next year. 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