gument: Getting to the conference finals the past two years, this Sharks group knows what it takes to win this time of year. Forget the struggles they had during the regular season, they will flip the switch and use their experience and offensive firepower to overwhelm teams. And if they make a mistake defensively, Niemi is more than capable of making the big save at just the right time. After two years as a bridesmaid, it's time for the Sharks to make that final step and take home the Stanley Cup.Contact Adam Kimelman at akimelman@nhl.com. Follow him on Twitter: @NHLAdamK
There's reason for optimism if you're a New Jersey Devils fan entering the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs.The Big Why: The Devils also have three 30-goal scorers at their disposal. That's something the organization hadn't produced in nine seasons. Ilya KovalchukLeft Wing - NJDGOALS: 37 | ASST: 46 | PTS: 83SOG: 310 | +/-: -9Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise and David Clarkson all surpassed the 30-goal mark this season and four players topped 50-plus points in Kovalchuk,Australia Nike Free Trainer 5.0 V4 Mens, Patrik Elias, Parise and rookie Adam Henrique.Speaking of Henrique, the 22-year-old versatile forward certainly had a coming-out party in his first NHL season. Not only did Henrique finish among the League's top three rookies in points, but he gained valuable experience centering Parise and Kovalchuk in the absence of Travis Zajac earlier this season. He also ranked second on the team in faceoff wins behind Elias.The recent return of Zajac,Nike Huarache Free Run, who has a pair of 60-point seasons and missed most of the season with a nagging Achilles injury, is just starting to pay dividends centering Parise and Kovalchuk. One other area the team will benefit from Zajac's presence is on faceoffs -- he finished the season with better than a 55-percent success rate and that will certainly carry over into the postseason as he continues to regain his strength.The Devils are a tad bigger and tougher entering this postseason than in recent years, with the likes of hard-hitting defensemen and shot blockers Anton Volchenkov and Bryce Salvador, and forwards Clarkson Ryan Carter,Australia Nike Free 5.0 Mens, Dainius Zubrus and Alexei Ponikarovsky in the mix.The team has also overcome plenty of adversity this season, something it most certainly will face at some point in the playoffs.One other area that cannot be overlooked and where New Jersey will likely hold a significant edge on any playoff opponent is on the penalty kill. The team finished the year tops in the NHL with its record 89.6 percent success rate on the man disadvantage. On top of that, the team had 15 shorthanded goals -- which also led the League.The Big Uh-Oh: Martin Brodeur, the legendary 39-year-old goalie hasn't won a playoff series in four Martin BrodeurGoalie - NJDRECORD: 31-21-4GAA: 2.41 | SVP: 0.908 seasons,Nike Free 5.0 Women Black White, but there have been flashes of the old Brodeur in 2011-12. He might also have added motivation knowing he is in the final year of his contract. But, there is no denying that he has had some serious hiccups in his most recent playoff outings, including a painful loss to Caro