How soon? Like, now soon. Jump city ladies and gentleman.

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The last time two teams had a rematch in the Stanley Cup Finals was 1984, when the Edmonton Oilers knocked off the New York Islanders. The Isles were the toast of the league, winning four Cups in a row beforehand.

In 1983, Edmonton was young but skilled. Rolling through their respective Conference in the playoffs, the Oil swept their first series against the Jets, dropped one game to the Flames, and proceeded to sweep the Blackhawks to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. However, they were overmatched by one of the best teams in their era, a team filled with veteran superstars such as Mike Bossy and Bob Nystrom.

In 1984, Edmonton was hungry for redemption. They had two players go 1-2 in the point race, as well as having two great young centermen in Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky, both of whom were in their young twenties.

In 2008, Pittsburgh was young but skilled. Rolling through their respective Conference, the Pens swept their first series against the Senators, dropped one game to the Rangers, and proceeded to knock the Flyers out in five games to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. However, they were overmatched by one of the best teams in their era, a team filled with veteran superstars such as Nik Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk.

In 2009, Pittsburgh was hungry for redemption. They had two players go 1-2 in the point race, as well as having two great young centermen in Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, both of whom were in their young twenties.

At times like these, you go with your gut. Pittsburgh in six.

Go Pens.

[Editor's Note}: As most of you know, I don't have a lot of free time. I have a ton of it. So with the regular season winding down into it's final day, and the Sharks first round opponent still to be decided, two preview articles were created- one for the Anaheim Ducks (that link to memory lane is not for the faint of heart, lemme tell ya), and one for the St. Louis Blues which you are currently being prepped on. There's really no reason to post this other than the fact that we've got some Shark free hockey on our hands for about five months.

Enjoy. Because I sure as hell didn't.

If you remember way back to February (admittedly I have trouble remembering what I did last weekend, but that's for another time), we took a look at the bubble boys of the Western Conference in an attempt to see who the Sharks first round opponent might be.

It's funny how things change.

St. Louis wasn't even on the list. Now we've got a potential seven game series against one of the hottest teams in the league, one that has given us some headaches this season. It seems that everyone and their mother is pulling for them to stage the big upset. The feel good story of the year. Let's be clear- there's something to be said for a team who has had it's back up against the wall for the entire season, a team that has admirably fought tooth and nail to get to where they stand today.

There's also something to be said for the starving animal that has been licking it's chops for this moment all season long.

Blues fans will most likely quote the 2000 playoffs as an omen for the Sharks. How an 8 seed, a little engine that could, went toe to toe with a Presidents' Trophy winning club, and knocked them out in game seven. Payback's a bitch and all that.

Paying us back after nine years is a little haphazard in my opinion. Can you imagine? The interest rates alone....

We'll be hearing about The Kid Line, The Veteran Line- both are solid, and will pose problems for San Jose going forward. That will be touched on throughout this week. We'll be hearing about how, "No one wants to play the Blues right now, they're really on fire."

It's the NHL playoffs people. Do you want to take your chances with Ken Hitchcock? How about the Stanley Cup champs of two years ago? You're going to have to beat tough teams on the road to the Cup, there's no easy draws. Do you think that the Blues are ecstatic that they drew the Presidents' Trophy winners? Get real.

All of this talk is well and good. We've grown accustomed to the hand-wringing here in San Jose. It's part of our daily routine, and will continue to be our burden until the Stanley Cup makes it way down Santa Clara Street. The long road towards fulfilling that goal begins next week. But if anyone is questioning this team's desire to win, the roster Todd McLellan has in place, or the Sharks chances during the course of this series?

Pack up shop and go on home. We've got enough stress to deal with.

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Pens-Canes. Wings-Hawks. Sunday at high noon the Conference Finals get underway. Predictions must be in by then as well. For all of you who didn't watch Reading Rainbow as a kid, the deadline is Sunday at 12:00 PM.

In terms of standings, I've been a joke lately and haven't gotten to them. They will be posted at one PM on Sunday. Promise. In retrospect, it's going to be easier for me due to the decrease in people who submitted predictions for the second round (and likely drop-off this time around as well). There you have it kids- procrastination does pay off.

Chicago vs. Detroit

Head Says: Any team that manages to put seven past Luongo in an elimination game is a force to be reckoned with, but it's hard for me to see Chicago outgunning the Wings. The Bulin Wall has been pretty damn bad this postseason (a Nabokov-esque sub-.900 SV%), and Chicago's blue line is not nearly as deep as Anaheim's. Looking at Chicago's top-minute defensemen, Brent Seabrook is the only one in the top three who I feel could shut down one of Detroit's forward lines. Thing is, the Wings are pretty deep in that department.

Chris Osgood will lose a game for Detroit, and the Hawks second tier scoring will continue to get on the scoresheet. Unfortunately for the Hawks, I don't think it will be enough. Wings in seven.

Heart Says: Chicago has a really exciting team to watch, and it's almost a given they will be one of the Western Conference superpowers during the next five years. For as much trash Brian Campbell gets from the Sharks fanbase, I don't blame him for leaving. I would have taken the seven million per too, so there's no hard feelings. He's just soft as hell. Detroit is a menace to society. I've always been a fan of Martin Havlat, and wouldn't mind seeing him in teal next season, however unlikely that would be. Detroit's fans sense of entitlement makes me want to puke. Brent Seabrook is one of my favorite NHL 09 players and led my team to a Cup just recently, paired with Robyn Regehr. Robyn Regehr is one of my favorite defenseman in the league, but he didn't play in the Chicago-Calgary series so whatevs. I do like Mike Babcock, but that doesn't really matter. Chicago with 100% of my heart's vote.

Pittsburgh vs. Carolina

Head Says: I haven't watched too much of the Canes this postseason, but I do know two things- Cam Ward is proving 2006 wasn't an anomaly, and Eric Staal is one hell of player. That being said, the Penguins also boast a damn fine crop of centers, and have been absolutely ferocious on the forecheck. They shut down the Caps breakout for long stretches in that series. I'm certain that Carolina will do a much better job than Washington at backchecking (read: Carolina will actually backcheck), but having two of the best players in the world is an advantage for the Pens.

Sergei Gonchar's health is instrumental here- before the Ovechkin induced injury that sidelined him, he was getting roughly 26 minutes a game. Although he returned in game seven, he only played 15:06. That's a big chunk missing from that blueline if he's receiving sub-20 minute nights, especially on the power play. Penguins in six.

Heart Says: I've always enjoyed watching Crosby in the defensive zone, and his offensive skills are out of this world. When the Sharks bowed out last season, I rooted for Pittsburgh solely because of this. The Eastern Conference is fairly foreign to me pre-playoffs (as in I only get to watch games on the weekends usually), so I don't have all too much riding on this series. Rod Brindamour makes Mike Ricci look like Fabio. That gets him some points in my book. Pittsburgh with 93% of my heart's vote.

*******

DET 4 CHI 3

PIT 4 CAR 2

[Editor's Note]: These predictions may or may not have something to do with a sick fascination of mine- Detroit vs. Pittsburgh in the Finals once again, with Marian Hossa on the losing end for the second straight year. "I went with Detroit because they have the best chance to win the Stanley Cup" would be one of the greatest quotes of all-time if this occurs. Frankly, it's way too good to pass up.

*******

FTF Drinking Game

Let's get a Conference Finals drinking game going. Submit some rules in the comments, even if you're not of legal age and will be binge-drinking Mountain Dew.

1) Drink twice every time they mention Staal. Marc Staal that is.

2) Drink thrice every time The Razor (if he's slated to be an announcer, I would assume so because he's the best Versus has) uses a big fancy word that you have to look up in the dictionary.

3) Take one shot of Exlax every time The Razor uses the phrase "laxative."

4) Drink once every time the Wings complain to the refs after a whistle. This should get you nice and toasted.

5) Drink twice every time a Red Wing executes an effective toe drag. Supplement this with two more if you are unable to remember the last time a San Jose Shark executed an effective toe drag. Hell, just drink four times and save yourself the trouble.

6) Hide your children when you see Pierre McGuire. Drink twice afterwards.

7) Drink once everytime you see an Extenze commercial on Versus. And don't end up drunk dialing the number- trust me, it don't work.

Go Sharks.

Keeping this quick because that's just how it has to be right now. Round one found here. I'll have the standings when I get around to it in the next couple days. Sorry for the delay folks.

Get your predictions in by Thursday at 6:00 PM. On a slightly related note, Carolina's win last night was insane.

Jump.

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Honestly, last night's loss hasn't quite sank in yet. Sure there's the let down, the frustration, the anger, the sadness, the multitude of melodramatics that a playoff ousting consists of. All of these things come with the territory.

But to sift through the vast tide of conflicting emotions emanating from your pores a mere twenty four hours after a team that we have dedicated hours, days, and years to, ceases to exist in it's current form?

Heartbreaking.

I wish I could come here and say that I'm content with the wonderful season San Jose put together. I wish I could come here and say that, "Go get em next year!" and "The boys gave it their all!" is a sufficient response to what occurred on the 27th of April.

But the fact of the matter remains- the Sharks are done. In the first round. No amount of Presidents' Trophies, career years, or record breaking performances can change that. What we have on our hands is black and white. You can label it a success, but I refuse to do so. Not because I do not care about this team, not because I am dissatisfied with all of the great memories they have provided this season, not because I am not proud of the Sharks obtaining the best record in the NHL at the end of 82 games, and certainly not because I won't be tuning in for every single game next season.

It is because this team had talent. They had leaders. They had skill, they had role players, they had goaltending, they had everything that, on paper, comprises a Stanley Cup winning team.

And that is the reason why this should not be casually brushed away.

This is not to say I'm disgusted with the team. You look at Edmonton, it was a lack of physicality. They got pushed around and intimidated. You look at Detroit, it was an inability to cope with adversity. Game four still remains the most gut-wrenching loss I have ever witnessed, and the performances in games five and six were uninspired. You look at Dallas and realize the blueline was not good enough to make a run.

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To ask a man to recap tonight is akin to watching Mr. T punch your significant other in the face while you are getting teabagged by Gilbert Brown.

Stunned. Shocked. Numb. Disappointed that a season, a season that had so much promise, has been ripped away in a mere six games.

Congrats to the Anaheim Ducks and The Battle of California on the series win.

Thank you to all the readers who have followed us. Special thanks to Dave, Gray, Lurker, Ang, idunno, serrapadre, Marcello, mymclife, WillR, Nael M, and all of those who have been here all year (I'm sure I missed a few). Thank you to those who have ever commented here, and those who have thought about it but never signed up. We're going to need everyone this offseason.

This series will be recapped tomorrow. If you're expecting something more right now, go ahead and start your own blog.

Go Sharks.

@ 7:30 PST

One win, sixty minutes or otherwise, evens this series. What a beautiful day to be alive.

In terms of matchups tonight, it's completely reasonable to think that (even with the last change) Carlyle won't have a Herculean advantage when trying to nullify San Jose's surging first line. Big Joe & Co. saw the majority of their shifts against Getzlaf in game five, and although that has burned the Sharks before, it is entirely possible reuniting the reinvigorated first line will continue to pay off dividends.

I'm not sure if this is a trend, but it's interesting- both wins this series came after an "emotional" change to the team. Torrey Mitchell's return in game three brought a 4-3 victory, while a meeting between McLellan and his big guns prompted last night's win. While they don't have any opportunities left in that regard, having Carlyle question the validity of your game winning goal could be some decent bulletin board material. It's either that or call and see if Arturs Irbe would like to suit up for one last playoff run.

On another semi-related note that's probably more relevant anything we have written during the course of the playoffs thus far, line one will be forever known as the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS for short). We're going as far as that line can take us.

Bring it on back to San Jose boys.

Prediction: Sharks win 4-1. Goals by Boyle, Ehrhoff, Marleau, and Pavelski. All four of them are ripped through Hiller's five hole. Epic imagery there by the way. Enjoy it.

Go Sharks.