Entering this season, the NHL's Western Conference appeared primed for domination by two of its three California-based teams.
The San Jose Sharks were returning with essentially the same roster that had marched to the 2010 Western Conference finals, coming off their third consecutive 100-point season and their second straight season as the regular-season conference leader.
Although sporting new goaltending in Antero Niittymaki and Chicago Blackhawks playoff hero Antti Niemi, the Sharks were still led by offensive stars Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley and Patrick Marleau, abetted by budding stars Joe Pavelski and Devin Setoguchi.
They lost veteran defenseman Rob Blake to retirement, but he was expected to be replaced by promising young blue-liners such as Jason Demers and Marc-Edouard Vlasic.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Kings last season served notice they were a team on the rise. Led by young stars Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, Dustin Brown, Jack Johnson and Jonathan Quick, the Kings not only returned to the playoffs for the first time in eight years but also reached the 100-point mark for the first time since 1990-91.
Although they bowed out of the 2010 playoffs to the Vancouver Canucks in the first round, expectations were heightened heading into 2010-11 with more than a few observers suggesting the Kings could challenge for the conference crown and become a serious Stanley Cup contender.
But expectations for the Ducks were considerably lower. They failed to make the playoffs in 2010 and with veteran defenseman Scott Niedermayer's retirement, they were lacking blue-line depth.
Still, with a core of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan, the return for another season of veteran winger Teemu Selanne and the possibility of a bounce-back performance by goaltender Jonas Hiller, the possibility of a playoff berth wasn't completely ruled out.
Heading toward the NHL 2011 All-Star break, however, this season has so far been a significant disappointment for the Sharks and Kings, who find themselves battling with the surprising Ducks for one of the final playoff berths in the conference.
Following a hot start (12-3), the Kings have cooled substantially. They entered this week sitting 12th in the Western Conference standings, four points out of a playoff spot. They have dropped nine of their past 12 games.
A myriad of problems threaten to derail their season.
Kopitar has not elevated his game as expected, in part because of to the lack of a quality scorer on his left wing. Doughty hasn't fully regained his form since returning from an early season concussion.
Forwards Jarret Stoll and Justin Williams have struggled of late offensively, and checking forward Michal Handzus appears to have lost a step. Undisciplined penalties have hurt the Kings in close games, and offseason additions Alexei Ponikarovsky and Willie Mitchell have not panned out as hoped.
Critics have attempted to blame head coach Terry Murray for the Kings' struggles, but general manager Dean Lombardi recently gave Murray a vote of confidence, placing the onus for improvement upon his players.
Some of the Kings' problems this season could be attributed to “growing pains,” the natural evolution of a promising team still finding its way.
The same cannot be said for the Sharks.
After several seasons of dominance, the Sharks enter the full week barely clinging to the eighth and final playoff berth in the conference, with Colorado and Minnesota nipping at their heels.
General manager Doug Wilson earlier this month reportedly threatened a roster shake-up if things didn't improve. Last week, he added checking forwards Ben Eager from Atlanta via trade and Kyle Wellwood off waivers from St. Louis.
The Sharks still haven't found a suitable replacement for the retired Blake on the blue line and Wilson has suggested he could try to address that before the trade deadline, but the Sharks' woes appear to run deeper than that.
Wilson opted to part ways with longtime goaltender Evgeni Nabokov because of the latter's inability to win in the postseason, but he was a proven winner in the regular season, with three straight seasons of 40-plus victories to his credit. The Sharks have yet to see similar results from Niittymaki or Niemi.
The biggest factor, however, is San Jose's once-vaunted offense is nowhere near as strong as in previous years.
Last season, the Sharks were the fourth-highest scoring team in the league. And in the previous season, they were the seventh-highest. This season. they're 16th in goals-per-game average despite leading the league in shots-on-goal average with 34.3.
Thornton, Heatley and Marleau are on pace for their lowest offensive seasons in years. Pavelski and Setoguchi failed to make notable improvement this season, and young Vlasic and Demers have not evolved into the puck-moving defensemen they appeared destined to become.
Like his peer Lombardi with the Kings, Wilson refuses to put the blame on his coaching staff for his club's poor performance. But his recent attempt at calling out his players has yet to pan out.
As for the Ducks, they have exceeded expectations, overcoming their lack of blue-line depth thanks in large part to Hiller's goaltending, a solid rookie campaign by Cam Fowler and the addition of veteran blue-liner Toni Lydman.
Entering this week, the Ducks were the best of the three California clubs, fifth in the conference, though in the tightly packed standings they're only three points up on the Sharks and seven on the Kings.
What's more impressive is they have had to do it short-handed at times throughout this season, with Lydman, Selanne, Fowler and Andy Sutton all sidelined at various times, and with Getzlaf, their top center and team captain, currently out for several weeks because of a serious facial injury.
Heading toward the remaining third of the season, it's clear any California dreams of dominance in the Western Conference for the Sharks and Kings have met reality but the Ducks could make their dreams of making the playoffs come true.
