two-run single with the bases loaded and two outs in the second.

With the NHL regular season right around the corner, TSN.ca profiles each team leading up to puck drop. Next up are the San Jose Sharks, a team reeling after they blew a three-games-to-none first-round lead over the eventual Cup winners from Los Angeles. Catch up on their summer moves and the issues they face this season, as well as Craig Buttons analysis of their top prospect and an analytical breakdown by TSNs Scott Cullen. Division: Pacific GM: Doug Wilson Head Coach: Todd McLellan 2013-14: 51-22-9 (2nd in Pacific) Playoffs: Lost in conference quarter-finals Goals For: 239 (6th) Goals Against: 193 (5th) Powerplay: 17.2% (20th) Penalty Kill: 84.9% (6th) That Was Then: The Sharksa€? 2013-14 regular season was a roaring success. Rookie Tomas Hertl got the party started on Oct. 8, scoring four goals in his third NHL game, capping the night off with one of the goals of the year. That win came as part of a six-game winning streak to start the year. The Sharks rolled through October, finishing the month 10-1-2. The regular season rolled on in similar fashion. The Sharksa€? only real spot of trouble came in December when they lost six of eight between the 5th and the 19th. Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau provided their usual strong play, both reaching 70 points or more. Joe Pavelski was a revelation, scoring a career-high 41 goals. That mark was good for third in the league. The Sharks made the playoff s for their 10th consecutive season, topping 100 points for the seventh time over that span. Though unable to chase down the Anaheim Ducks for first in the Pacific Division, the Sharks enjoyed a strong finish, buoyed by the aforementioned trio as well as Logan Couture. Then came the playoffs and a creepy, familiar feeling. The Sharks roared out to a 3-0 series lead over their state rivals from Los Angeles but were unable to finish them off. Out-gunned 6-3 in Game 4, the Sharks let the Kings get off the mat. Jonathan Quick shut the door from there, allowing just two total goals over the final three games. The Sharks became just the fourth team in NHL history to blow a 3-0 lead. One storyline that emerged from the collapse was a lack of faith in goaltender Antti Niemi. The former Cup-winner was pulled in Games 4 and 5, leading the Sharks to start back-up Alex Stalock in Game 6. The team went back to Niemi in Game 7 but by that point momentum was clearly with the Kings. Scott Cullens Analytics Predators 2013-14 Stats by Quarter Games GPG GAA SH% SV% SAF% PTS% 1-20 3.50 2.05 8.5% .928 56.1% .775 21-41 2.86 2.76 7.4% .919 54.0% .643 42-62 2.33 2.19 6.3% .917 54.8% .619 63-82 3.00 2.35 7.8% .925 54.3% .675 NHL AVG 2.67 2.67 7.8 .922 50.0% .562 Key: GPG= goals per game, GAA= goals-against per game, SH%= even-strength shooting percentage, SV%= even-strength save percentage, SAF%= score-adjusted Fenwick percentage (differential of shot attempts faced vs. shot attempts, excluding blocked shots, adjusted for game score), PTS%= percentage of available points. Analysis: Games 1-20: Sensational start to the year; dominant in all aspects. Games 21-41: A 5-1 shootout record, and strong possession, inflated the record of otherwise mediocre play. Games 42-62: Solid possession kept Sharks winning during low-scoring stretch. Games 63-82: Percentages bounced back and Sharks finished the regular season strong. Key Additions: LW Tye McGinn, LW John Scott Key Subtractions: D Dan Boyle, RW Martin Havlat, LW John McCarthy, D Brad Stuart This Is Now: The Sharks need more than regular season success. Since acquiring Thornton from Boston, the Sharks have won four division titles, made the playoffs every year and have won at least one series in six of their nine trips. Thornton himself has posted 740 points in 675 career games with the Sharks and a€“ believe it or not a€“ ranks 20th amongst active NHLers in playoff points-per-game over that span, ahead of the likes of Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Corey Perry and Justin Williams. Yet, he finds himself stripped of his captaincy entering this season. Another long-time Sharks vet is gone entirely, as Dan Boyle joined the New York Rangers as an unrestricted free agent. The teama€?s focus may be shifting towards Pavelski and Couture and away from Marleau and Thornton, who have endured all of the playoff disappointments suffered since the 2005-06. However, the two remain not only parts of the team, but integral cogs in its offence. The team has enjoyed a lot of regular season success under the current regime, but how much time is left on the clock in San Jose for the likes of Thornton, Marleau, GM Doug Wilson and coach Todd McLellan. DEPTH CHART Forwards Left Wing Centre Right Wing Tomas Hertl Joe Thornton Joe Pavelski Patrick Marleau Logan Couture Tommy Wingels Matt Nieto James Sheppard Tyler Kennedy Tye McGinn Andrew Desjardins Mike Brown John Scott Adam Burish Freddie Hamilton Barclay Goodrow Chris Tierney Raffi Torres Defence Left Right Marc-Edouard Vlasic Brent Burns Matt Irwin Justin Braun Scott Hannan Jason Demers Mirco Mueller Taylor Fedun Konrad Abeltshauser Dylan DeMelo Goaltenders Antti Niemi Alex Stalock Troy Grosenick Craigs List TSN Director of Scouting Craig Buttons Top Prospect: Mirco Mueller Like a fine Swiss watch, there is a precision to Mircoa€?s game. Positioning is sound but it is predicated on the understanding of how to best position yourself to take advantage in the game. Defensively, he becomes very difficult to break down. He recognizes opportunities to transition and with a strong skating base, very good awareness and vision along with pin point passing, he is able to alleviate pressure quickly and allow his team to move forward and attack. He has a subtlety to his competitiveness in that he moves opponents off their marks in a manner that looks like he is a€?body glide.a€? His game shows signs of being able to expand which would move him from category of very solid player to top two defenseman. Fantasy - Cullens Player to Watch - Brent Burns Given how effective Burns has been as a forward with the Sharks, its fair to be skeptical of his move back to defence, but hes been productive in the past while playing on the blue line. Last season brought a career-high 48 points for Burns, playing on Joe Thorntons wing, but hes had 46 and 43-point seasons playing defence for the Minnesota Wild. The Sharks lost their primary puck-mover from defence, Dan Boyle, to free agency, so there ought to be ample opportunity for Burns to play big minutes and find the score sheet enough along the way. Nike Shoes Clearance Australia . Knapp defeated American Alison Riske 6-3, 7-5 to secure Italys victory in the best-of-five series. She held a 5-2 lead in the second set, only to let Riske tie it at five. Cheap Nike Shoes Australia . During halftime, Love told The Associated Press he would receive treatment Saturday night and hoped to play Monday night against Houston. "I knew that my quad was bothering me pretty bad so I went out there and tried to move around a little bit and it just wasnt quite right," Love said. http://www.nikecheapshoesaustralia.com/ . Mark Van Guilder, Austin Watson and Colton Sissons also scored for the Admirals (22-13-10), who are 2-0-2 in their last four outings, while Roussel tacked on an assist for a two-point night. Greg Pateryn scored once for the Bulldogs (20-22-4), who lost their fifth straight contest, and also assisted on Gabriel Dumonts goal. Cheap Nike Shoes Australia Free Shipping . -- Canadian mens rugby coach Kieran Crowley has made four changes to his starting roster for Saturdays Pacific Nations Cup clash against the United States. Nike Shoes Australia Outlet . Or at least on everyone elses expectations. Costa Rica followed up its surprise win over Uruguay with another World Cup stunner on Friday, beating four-time champion Italy 1-0 to secure a spot in the next round and eliminate England in the process. PHILADELPHIA -- Two same-day call-ups helped the San Francisco Giants stay ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Adam Duvall hit a two-run homer to spoil Cliff Lees return from the disabled list and Giants beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-4 on Monday night. Hunter Pence had three hits and two RBIs, Buster Posey drove in two runs and the Giants are two percentage points ahead of Los Angeles for first place in the NL West. George Kontos (2-0) gave up one hit and struck out three in two innings in relief to earn the win. Santiago Casilla pitched the ninth for his sixth save in nine tries. Duvall and Kontos both arrived from Triple-A Fresno after midnight to replace Matt Cain and Brandon Belt on the roster. "Any time you get up here, it doesnt matter how late," Duvall said. Kontos hopes his third trip to the big leagues this season is his last. "Every time I come up I expect to be here for the rest of my career," he said. Giants starter Ryan Vogelsong gave up four runs -- three earned -- and 11 hits in three-plus innings. But San Franciscos bullpen combined for six scoreless innings. Making his first start since May 18 because of an elbow injury, Lee (4-5) had a rare rough outing against San Francisco. Lee was 5-0 with a 0.88 ERA in six career games against the Giants. He allowed five earned runs in 51 innings in those six starts before giving up six runs and 12 hits in 5 2-3 innings in this one with several scouts watching in the stands. If Lee shows hes healthy and pitches effectively, he is a prime candidate for a trade before the July 31 non-waiver deadline. The four-time All-Star and 2008 AL Cy Young Award winner already was traded once by the Phillies in December 2009 on the same day they acquired Roy Halladay in a separate deal. The Phillies are headed toward their second straight losing season and will be looking to acquire young players from contending teams for some of their high-priced veterans. "I could care less about the scouts or trade rumours," Lee said. "Ive never cared about themm.dddddddddddd My goal is to go out there and give my team a chance to win. Im in Philly and I want this team to win." The teams combined to hit 21 singles before Duvall launched a homer to straightaway centre to give the Giants a 5-4 lead in the sixth. Pences RBI single with two outs made it 6-4 and sent Lee to an early exit. Pence hit an RBI triple off Jeff Manship in the eighth. "Its pretty cool to hit a homer against a guy like that," Duvall said. Ryan Howard gave the Phillies a 4-3 lead in the fourth on a checked-swing single to left that chased Vogelsong. Kontos entered with runners on first and third, struck out Marlon Byrd and Domonic Brown and retired Cody Asche on a liner to right. Jimmy Rollins gave the Phillies a 2-1 lead with a two-run single with the bases loaded and two outs in the second. Posey hit a two-run single to centre to make it 3-2 in the third. Gregor Blancos RBI single to right in the second gave the Giants a 1-0 lead. Byrd threw out Michael Morse trying to score from second base on the play. Morse ran into catcher Cameron Rupp and was upended over the plate before being tagged out. Giants manager Bruce Bochy challenged the call, but a video review confirmed he was out. Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg had a successful challenge in the seventh inning when replays showed Asche beat a throw to first for an infield single. The game ended with a challenge when Brown grounded out to third and a review upheld the call. NOTES: The Giants signed three-time All-Star 2B Dan Uggla to a minor league contract. Uggla was released by the Braves last Friday. "Hes excited and we are, too," Bochy said. "Hell get at-bats at Fresno and hopefully he can help us." ... The Giants put RHP Cain on the 15-day DL because of elbow inflammation. They placed 1B Belt on the seven-day DL because of a concussion. ... Pence leads the NL with 37 multi-hit games. ... RHP Roberto Hernandez (4-8, 4.22) goes for the Phillies on Tuesday night vs. RHP Yusmeiro Petit (3-3, 3.86). ' ' '