San Jose Sharks Stanley Cup Playoff Preview

Can San Jose keep their current good form going into the playoffs and give the hockey betting public something to think about?

NHL playoff betting is about finding the hottest team and riding them until the good times come to an end – or until they win the Stanley Cup. Heading into the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs, there’s no doubt that the San Jose Sharks are playing better than any other team in the league.

San Jose finished the season 16-2-2 to win the Pacific Division and place second overall in both the NHL and in the Western Conference. The Sharks, who had a regular-season record of 49-23-10 with 108 points, are currently listed among the favorites on the Stanley Cup odds list. The hot streak to end the regular campaign coincided with the arrival of fleet-footed Brian Campbell, who the Sharks picked up in a deal with the Buffalo Sabres at the trade deadline.

Campbell recorded 19 points in 20 games with San Jose, but he did more than play well himself. The defenseman sparked a dormant Sharks’ attack that struggled in the first half of the season. With Campbell on board, captain Patrick Marleau had 19 points in his final 20 games, while Joe Thornton potted nine goals in his final eight games for San Jose.

There’s a lot of pressure on Thornton and the Sharks heading into the playoffs. Despite another exceptional season during which the big center put up 29 goals and 66 assists, this year will only be a success if Thornton can lead San Jose deep into the postseason. That will be easier said than done for a Sharks team that has made a habit of underachieving in the playoffs over the last few years.

The good news for Sharks bettors is the emergence of goaltender Evgeni Nabokov as an elite netminder. Nabokov is being discussed as the favorite for the Vezina Trophy after winning 46 games this season to go along with six shutouts and a 2.14 goals against average. Nabokov is the main reason San Jose was third in goals against and first in penalty killing, while going 27-10-4 away from home this season.

Even though Nabokov is playing the best hockey of his career and Campbell has the Sharks playing their best hockey of the season, it’s all about Thornton. If Thornton performs like the dominant playmaker he can be, then San Jose is arguably the strongest futures bet of any team in the playoffs. If Thornton disappoints like he has before, then hockey bettors could find themselves on the wrong end of another Sharks’ early exit.