Sharks clinch Pacific Division Title

The San Jose Sharks clinched their fourth consecutive Pacific Division title on Monday after a 6-1 victory over the depleted Los Angeles Kings at home.

The accomplish itself is nothing new for the organization in recent years, but this years ascent to the top of the division wasn’t as typical as years past, making it a more significant accomplishment.

In January the Sharks were in last place in the division and on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. That’s unfamiliar territory at any point during the regular season for this team.

Since that time they’ve reeled off 26 wins in 34 games to climb atop the division. Whatever it was that changed, the acquisitions of Kyle Wellwood, Ben Eager and Ian White, the play of the underachieving players, or a more committed approach to playing within their system, something clicked for the team after that six-game losing streak in January.

In addition to the unfamiliar disappointment early in the season, there was an increased amount of parody within the division and the Western Conference as a whole.

The quality of teams in the division from top-to-bottom is arguably the best in the NHL. It is likely that four out of the five teams will make the playoffs and there’s still a chance that the final team, the Dallas Stars, will also sneak in. Coincidentally the team that was leading the division when the Sharks started their run back in late January was the very same Stars.

Every team seems to dominate one other division opponent, get dominated by another and play evenly with the rest.

Three of the four teams (San Jose, Phoenix, Los Angeles) currently in playoff slots have ridden great goal-tending to success this season and Anaheim could easily join that lot if Jonas Hiller returns to the form he displayed before his injury this season.

San Jose may very well meet a division rival in a playoff match-up, something that didn’t fair well for them the last time. But this team seems different, a different feel, a different team and possibly different success?