The playoff beard is one of the most recognized signs that the quest for Lord Stanley’s Cup has begun.
In Northern California, the San Jose Sharks stumbling in the playoffs precedes as a close second.

Following San Jose’s latest playoff debacle – a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to the visiting Colorado Avalanche to open up the Stanley Cup playoffs on Wednesday night – Sharks coach Todd McLellan acknowledged he knew this first-round series would not be easy.

“Why should it be?” the coach said.

Well, could it be because no puck pundits predicted the top-seeded Sharks, despite their well-documented history of shortcomings this time of year, to fall in a best-of-seven series to the No. 8 Avalanche?

Because Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov had 63 more games of playoff experience than his counterpart Craig Anderson (zero)?

Because the Sharks are supposedly tired of hearing about their previous postseason failures, which include being bounced out as a No. 1 seed last year in the opening round?

Nope.

It’s simply because they are the Sharks, a team that bites during the first 82 games, and drowns shortly after. A contender that flops when others flourish – a franchise that hasn’t escaped the second of the playoffs since 2003-04.

Sure, San Jose was defeated on a fluke own goal in the final minute of regulation and there’s no way to prevent such a thing other than build a big enough lead to avoid it.
TODAY’S GAME LIST:
Ottawa Senators @ Pittsburgh Penguins // Philadelphia Flyers…..@….. New Jersey Devils // Nashville Predators @ Chicago Blackhawks // Detroit Red Wings @ Phoenix Coyotes // Colorado Avalanche @ San Jose Sharks