Joe Thornton

The San Jose Sharks won their fourth consecutive Pacific Division title last year, and their sixth in the past nine seasons. However, with four of the division's five teams making the postseason (and Dallas, the fifth, finishing a mere two points out of the playoffs), the Sharks have their work cut out for them this year.

The crazy NHL offseason for the San Jose Sharks has taken us to this destination, Opening Night 2011 at HP Pavilion with a whole different brigade of players in Saturday's starting lineup.

Year after year, the San Jose Sharks are one of the NHL's best teams; they are a perennial Stanley Cup contender. Year after year, the San Jose Sharks fail to live up to their goal: Win the Stanley Cup.

With so much competition in the West, rivalries are beginning to intensify. A perfect example of this would be what is currently occurring in the Golden State. With three possible cup contenders, the division rivalry between teams in California is heating up.

Let's take a look at what each Californian team has to offer.

ANAHEIM DUCKS

The Sharks escaped out of Los Angeles with two wins and a 3-1 series lead.

After an improbable come back in Game 3, the Sharks made it look easy in Game 4, pummeling Jonathon Quick and winning 6-3. The Sharks now come back to HP Pavilion with a chance to close out the series. However, the long road to the Stanley Cup is just starting.

Here are five improvements that the Sharks must make in order to win the cup.

1. Better Starts to Games

We've seen it before. The San Jose Sharks have an amazing regular season and hopes are high heading into the NHL playoffs.

There's too many weapons on this team to fail, right?

Wrong.

The NHL playoffs are a bigger beast and big names tend to crumble during this time, especially if they're wearing a Sharks jersey, or so history claims.

The Sharks traveled to the desert to kick off a home–and–home series against the Phoenix Coyotes Saturday night. The Coyotes had won 10 of their last 15 games with a 10-2-3 record, and were looking to secure a playoff berth with a win at home. The Sharks knew they had to weather the storm early, as this weekend could either secure a fourth seed for the Coyotes or have them hitting the golf links early.

The San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars are bitter division rivals. For years the Sharks have wowed fans with their regular season flare, only to be brought back down to earth by their next-door neighbors.

From Belfour to Zubov to Ott, the Stars have always remained a thorn in the Sharks side. Thursday night at the tank was a different story. The Sharks once again showcased their depth and talent, getting points from all over the stat sheet and ice.

The Sharks returned home after their big three-game road swing and riding high on a six game winning streak. Having beaten three of the hottest teams in the NHL by one point on the recent road trip the Sharks showed they were ready for playoff hockey.

The Sharks welcomed the reeling Colorado Avalanche in their first game of a crucial six game homestand. The last time the Avs visited the Tank was just two weeks ago, in a 4-0 shutout highlighted by Devin Setoguchi’s first career hat trick.

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