LOS ANGELES -- Almost every NHL contender has a few ghosts of past failures that they must exorcise on the path toward the Stanley Cup.
The San Jose Sharks have a monster in their closet, and they've got to face it in the first round.
Just two years ago, the Los Angeles Kings rallied from a 0-3 series deficit in the first round to eliminate San Jose in humiliating fashion at the Shark Tank. The momentum propelled the Kings to their second championship, and it sent the Sharks on a spiral that bottomed out last spring with their first non-playoff season in over a decade.