Antti Niemi

The San Jose Sharks suffered their worst home loss of the season Thursday.

They absolutely dominated the opening minutes with the first several shots and a goal. Great teams expose pretenders like this...sorry, Ottawa Senators fans, a team with a journeyman goalie and a single line worth worrying about is a pretender.

The Islanders are building a significant young corps of key hockey players with Stars like John Tavares, Michael Grabner and a right-handed shooting power play quarterback and Olympic defenseman Mark Streit playing out of Switzerland.  With this International appeal, the Islanders are in dire need of the goalie they are missing out on in the Rick DiPietro bust.

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

After what could be considered the game of the year so far, on Tuesday night, the San Jose Sharks were back in action in Game 4 at the Staples Center against the Los Angeles Kings.

After Game 3, sports analysts and fans on both sides were wondering whether the Kings would come out with all guns blazing after losing what was a four-goal lead at one point.

How would you like to be San Jose Sharks coach Todd McLellan right now?

Okay, he's probably not the worst person to be right now, I mean, he is head coach of a team that came back from a 4-0 deficit to win 6-5 in overtime in the playoffs and take control of the series.

But how about the decision he has to make for Game 4 in Los Angeles on Thursday night?

After falling in game one to the San Jose Sharks and losing Jarett Stoll to a one game suspension, many had wondered what the center of the ice would look like for the Los Angeles Kings entering game two without two of the teams top centers. The Kings showed no evidence of top pieces being gone, making a statement with a powerful victory to even the series at one a piece, with goaltender Jonathan Quick pitching a shutout in the process.

While the NHL's second season started last night, fans of the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings were forced to wait an extra day for their teams' opening game.

The Western Conference of the NHL was nothing short of a hurricane to watch this year. But the Pacific Division was the root of most of the drama, with weeks of three-point and unpredictable games.

Two more days until April 14, a date Sharks’ fans have apprehensively circled on their calendars with a yellow marker (appropriate since yellow is the color of caution) to signal the start of the NHL postseason.

What twisted fate lies ahead for the men in teal after that first puck drops in front of Joe Pavelski’s stick?

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.

One thing I have noticed as a hockey fan, is that there are some weird, wacky and wonderful names that fill up the NHL rosters. 

I have looked these team rosters up and down, and narrowed them down to the best names from around the league. Sure, there are some names that you think should belong on this list, but there were some I choose to omit due to commonality and recognition.

Others have been left out of this because there was simply nothing to write about other than their excellent play, which has nothing to do with their names. Or does it?