In the NHL playoffs, it is the year of the San Jose Sharks.

The Sharks are one of the best teams in the NHL and is playing in one of the most difficult divisions in hockey, the Pacific Division.

The Sharks finished with a 51-22-9 record, 111 points and fifth place overall in the league.

The team is stacked with great players like Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Brent Burns, Dan Boyle and Tomas Hertl.

The team plays a fast transition game where the scoring chances are aplenty. This type of game excites hockey fans watching, even those who don’t know much about the sport.

The Sharks have been a model of consistency for the NHL, making the playoffs every year since the lockout in 2004-2005. They have collected four division titles and accumulated at least 90 points in eight of their nine seasons.

California is ready for all its hockey teams to hoist the Stanley Cup at least once, but the Sharks haven’t had the glory yet.

The Sharks are due for a championship sooner or later whether it’s 2014 or not. The fan base is hungrier than ever.

At the last home game of the year against the Colorado Avalanche on April 10, the fans started chanting “Beat L.A.” as the game clock was winding down, a reminder of who the Sharks will have to beat in the first round this year to advance in the playoffs.

Every year since the lockout, the Sharks have been many people’s choice to win the Stanley Cup because of the strong regular seasons they have had in past years. But for some reason, the team can’t replicate the success and apply it to the postseason.

However, the outcome of the 2014 playoffs will finally go in the Sharks’ favor and a parade in downtown San Jose in June is going to happen.

“They are going to love it in San Jose when the Sharks win the (Stanley) Cup Final,” Dan Rosen told nhl.com in September 2013. “I do think this is the year.”