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"&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MORE PACIFIC PREVIEWS:&lt;/strong&gt; Canucks | Kings | Coyotes | Flames | Ducks | Oilers\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;COACH: &lt;/strong&gt;Todd McLellan\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u200B&lt;strong&gt;2013-14 RECORD:&lt;/strong&gt; 51-22-9, 111 points (second in Pacific, lost to Kings, 4-3, in first round)\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong &gt;VITAL SIGNS: &lt;/strong&gt;2.91 goals-for per game (T-6th); 2.35 goals-against per game (5th); 17.2 power play pct. (20th); 84.9 penalty kill pct. (6th); shootout record: 10-7 (2nd)\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;NOTABLE ARRIVALS: &lt;/strong&gt;LW&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;John Scott, F Tye McGinn\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;NOTABLE DEPARTURES&lt;/strong&gt;: D Dan Boyle, D Brad Stuart, RW&amp;nbsp;Martin Havlat\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PROJECTED DEPTH CHART&lt;/strong&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Forwards&lt;/strong&gt;\r\nPatrick Marleau \u2014 Joe Pavelski&amp;nbsp;\u2014 Tommy Wingels\r\nTomas Hertl \u2014 Logan Couture \u2014 Matt Nieto\r\nRaffi Torres \u2014 Joe Thornton \u2014 Tyler Kennedy\r\n\u200BTye McGinn&amp;nbsp;\u2014 Andrew Desjardins \u2014 Mike Brown\r\nAdam Burish, James Sheppard*, John Scott\r\n(*injured)\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Defensemen&lt;/strong&gt;\r\nBrent Burns \u2014&amp;nbsp;Marc-Edouard Vlasic\r\nJustin Braun \u2014 Jason Demers\r\nMatt Irwin \u2014 Scott Hannan\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Goalies&lt;/strong&gt;\r\nAntti Niemi\r\nAlex Stalock\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;OUTLOOK: &lt;/strong&gt;Maple Leafs fans wail about their bad luck and Islanders fans lament their team\u2019s annual mediocrity, but San Jose's faithful might be rooting for the most snake-bitten team of the 21st century. Lest we forget, the Sharks were one win away from sweeping the Kings in the first round last spring before losing four straight games to the eventual Stanley&amp;nbsp;Cup champions and becoming only the fourth team in NHL history to blow such a lead. A paragon of regular-season dominance during the past five seasons, the Sharks have appeared in the Western Conference Finals only twice, losing in five games each time. Last season\u2019s team appeared to be capable of exorcizing its demons, but it instead collapsed in spectacular fashion and&amp;nbsp;spent a summer of discontent that couldn't pass fast enough. GM Doug Wilson was vocal about his plans to alter the franchise's landscape, saying, \u201CWe now become a tomorrow team\" before&amp;nbsp;backtracking and more or less standing pat. So&amp;nbsp;San Jose\u2019s aging core of stars (Joe Thornton, Patrick&amp;nbsp;Marleau, Joe&amp;nbsp;Pavelski) have&amp;nbsp;returned along with coach Todd&amp;nbsp;McLellan, who some are surprised to see is still behind the&amp;nbsp;bench after last season\u2019s meltdown, but Thornton was stripped of his captain\u2019s title.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;San Jose still has&amp;nbsp;two of the most fearsome forward lines in hockey. The defense&amp;nbsp;lost two veterans in Dan Boyle (free agency)&amp;nbsp;and Brad Stuart (trade), but the&amp;nbsp;ferocious Brent Burns will shift from forward to his former position on the blue line where he'll be the puck-moving complement to shutdown defender Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Yet, despite this team\u2019s formidable star power and a proven regular-season track record, the big question now is how the Sharks will respond after the worst postseason collapse in franchise history. They would do well to remember the Bruins who squandered a 3-0 lead to the Flyers in the 2010 playoffs only to come back and win the Stanley Cup in 2011. Bitter defeat can be inspiring.&amp;nbsp;The Sharks should have no trouble making the playoffs, but a stumble out of the gate or an exit before the Western Conference Finals will mean that wholesale changes finally come&amp;nbsp;to Silicon Valley.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;What the Sharks will gain from the NHL's rule changes&lt;/strong&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PLAYER TO WATCH: Tomas Hertl&lt;/strong&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hockey fans gawked (while some players and coaches bristled) at Hertl\u2019s flashy play last season, but the 20-year old winger\u2019s skills are worth more than a handful of YouTube highlights. He scored eight goals in last season\u2019s opening month and appeared to be on his way to Rookie of the Year honors before sustaining a knee injury in an ugly collision with the Kings\u2019 Dustin Brown in December and missing 45 games. Paired with perennially underrated Logan Couture,&amp;nbsp;Hertl may be destined for a 30-plus goal season if he stays healthy and avoids a sophomore slump.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Eight prospects remain as Sharks camp heads into final days&lt;/strong&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PREDICTION: 101 points (third in Pacific)&lt;/strong&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;CENTRAL PREVIEWS:&lt;/strong&gt; Wild | Stars | Blackhawks | Avalanche | Jets | Predators | Blues\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;ATLANTIC PREVIEWS:&lt;/strong&gt; Canadiens | Bruins | Sabres | Panthers | Maple Leafs | Red Wings | Lightning | Senators\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;METROPOLITAN PREVIEWS:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;Capitals&amp;nbsp;|&amp;nbsp;Penguins&amp;nbsp;|&amp;nbsp;Flyers&amp;nbsp;| Devils | Islanders | Blue Jackets&amp;nbsp;|&amp;nbsp;Hurricanes&amp;nbsp;| Rangers\r\n&lt;/p&gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.si.com/nhl/2014/10/01/pacific-division-2014-15-preview-san-jose-sharks>