The San Jose Sharks were predicted to lose in seven games to theColorado Avalanche in the semi-final round of the Stanley CupPlayoffs.ESPN and Mark Purdy from the San Jose Mercury News toesthis line stating that Los Tiburones (Spanish for theSharks) will lose in seven.

My prediction? Sharks victorious in seven. This series will beone of the most entertaining to watch for the next two weeks.

Let me break it down for you.

Offense:

The Avs are known for their offense in the past. Thisyear they stay true to form with a roster of superstars puttogether for one purpose. Winning Lord Stanley’s cup.But this yearalmost every player stepped it up and for the Sharks the resultswere not surprising.The Sharks leading scorer Patrick Marleau issizzling with two playoff hat tricks, and leads the National HockeyLeague in playoff goals.

Veteran Vincent Damphouse, Jonathan Cheechoo along NicholasDimitrakos lead the Sharks with a combined total of 22 points. TheSharks speed allows them to forecheck and create turnovers whichare crucial goal scoring. The likes of Teemu Selanne are not beingas productive as the Avs hoped for and with Paul Kariya stillrecovering from his injury, diminish the Avalanche’s chances ofpost season success.

Defense:

Whoever has the best defense will win this series. While bothteams are blessed with great offense, the defense is the line thatneeds to be solid in order to win the series. Controlling Forsberghas always been an issue. The Avs have two strong D men (Rob Blake,Adam Foote) while the Sharks have four (Mike Rathje, Scott Hannan,Brad Stuart, and Kyle McLaren).

Goaltending:

With Patrick Roy retiring last season, Sharks goaltender EvgeniNabokov holds a solid edge in this category. Nabokov rebounded froma slumping season, and finished the season strong. David Aebischieris in his first year as a starter and is relatively untested withminimal playoff experience. To the fans in Colorado who have beenused to superb goaltending from Roy, Aebischer has some big shoesto fill.

Team:

The Sharks proved to the fans and the league that they are ateam that will fight to the end of each and every match. Aftertheir players only meeting in Carolina early in the season, theSharks turned things around and since Oct. 30 have the best recordin the NHL. The Avalanche have a strong core of solid playersincluding star forwards and great defensemen, but it lacks theproductivity of all four lines that the Sharks have. The successthis season came from the contributions of all four lines.

Coaching:

Ron Wilson is a candidate for the Jack Adams trophy which isawarded to coach of the year. The Adams is voted on by the NHLBroadcaster’s Association. After joining the team midseason lastyear, Wilson and company shook things up, changed their routine,and rallied the team to success this year. An offense revolvingaround speedy forwards, Wilson has the freedom to play around withhis lines each night.

Fans:

Bandwagon fans or not, the fans have always been behind the SanJose Sharks. When the shark tank is filled to the rafters withfans, the HP Pavilion is one of the loudest arenas in the NHL.Combined with the the teams regular season success, the fans needlittle encourage ment to show support for their team and itsplayers.

Sharks vs Blues game fivegallery