Cup or bust for the Sharks

By Cecile Nguyen

"Is this the yearâ?¦?" was the annoying National Hockey League commercial that played over and over this season, but it seems to fit when it comes to this year's San Jose Sharks.

Is this the year the Sharks translate their regular season success into the playoffs?

Is this the year the Sharks dispel their playoff choke title?

Is this the year the Sharks win the Stanley Cup?

Because anything short of the Cup this season will not be acceptable.

I, like many others, bought into the Sharks' promise that this year was going to be different, that this will finally be the Sharks' year.

San Jose was the sexy pick among hockey analysts to win the Stanley Cup at the beginning of the season and again as the playoffs began, after their huge 20-game winning streak.

They improved on their special teams, something that has failed them in past playoffs.

Vezina Trophy finalist, for top goalie in the NHL, Evgeni Nabokov has been nothing short of remarkable, starting all but five games.

Former NHL's Most Valuable Player, forward and alternate captain Joe Thornton has carried the team on his back for most of the season.

And finally, with the acquisition of Brian Campbell at the trade deadline, the Sharks have the smooth-skating, puck-moving defenseman that has been missing from their lineup.

Everything is set, the pieces are there, and this really is going to be the year San Jose finally wins the big one.

It truly is Cup or bust for the Sharks.

After a very tough seven-game series against a physical Calgary Flames, I figured that it would pretty much be smooth sailing to the Stanley Cup from here.

But I was wrong.

They proved that this wouldn't be like last year. After the devastating Game Three 3-4 loss to the Flames, where the Sharks scored three quick goals to start the game, San Jose bounced back the following game with a last-second goal to get the win and thus secured the series.

Against the Dallas Stars, San Jose failed to hold onto leads in the first three games of their series. There were plenty of opportunities for San Jose to take control of the game and get back into the series, but the Sharks are making it very difficult for fans to believe that this really is the year for San Jose.

If this is really the year, then the Sharks coming back from being down 3-1 in a series is nothing at all.