San Jose Sharks Playoff Tickets

Just three years into their life as an NHL team, the Sharks pulled off one of the unlikeliest playoff victories of all time. After they finished with an NHL-record 71 losses in the 1992-93 season, the Sharks bounced back with a more respectable season in 1993-94. They only had 33 wins, but the Sharks also amassed 16 ties, which gave them just enough points to squeak into the playoffs as the last seed in the Western Conference. In the first round of the playoffs, the Sharks faced the Detroit Red Wings, who were considered heavy favorites to win the round and compete for the Stanley Cup. The Sharks shocked the hockey world by taking a three games to two lead in the series. Detroit forced a Game 7, and outshot San Jose 30 to 17, but the Sharks held on and won the game 3-2. Sergei Makarov, San Jose’s leading scorer, had six goals in the series.

The Sharks eventually developed a reputation as one of the NHL’s best regular season teams. From 2002 to 2011, they won the Pacific Division six times. But the Sharks rarely seemed to advance very far in the playoffs—they were often eliminated in the first two rounds. San Jose’s most disappointing playoff finish came in 2009: the Sharks had the best record in the NHL during the regular season, but they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

In 2016, the Sharks finally pushed through the wall that seemed to be blocking them. They made it past the second round after defeating the Nashville Predators in a tough 7 game series. The Sharks dominated Game 7, and goalie Martin Jones earned a shutout in a 5-0 victory. The Sharks defeated the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference Final and advanced to their first Stanley Cup Final. In the Final, the Sharks were defeated by the Pittsburgh Penguins after six games.

NHL Playoff Format

The NHL is split into an Eastern Conference and a Western Conference. Eight teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs.

There are four rounds in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, each decided by a best-of-seven-game series. The fourth and final round pits the top team from the East and top team from the West against one another for the Stanley Cup.