After Big Upset, Sharks Find Themselves Seeing Stars

The San Jose Sharks enhanced their reputation as giant-killers by upsetting the top-seeded St. Louis Blues in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, adding credence to the notion regular-season performances mean little when the playoffs begin.

The Sharks, who had 27 fewer points than the Blues and didn’t beat them during the season, became the fifth eighth-seeded team to defeat a top-seeded team since the NHL adopted its current playoff format.

Their triumph over the Blues brought them a second-round matchup with the defending Cup champion Dallas Stars--whom the Sharks beat in four of six games this season. Whether that means anything, however, is debatable.

The Pittsburgh Penguins hope their past struggles against the Philadelphia Flyers don’t carry over to their Eastern Conference series, which begins tonight. The Penguins have lost 16 consecutive games at Philadelphia since 1994, including three playoff games in 1997, and were 0-4-1 against the Flyers this season. Ignoring controversies over the treatment of center Eric Lindros’ concussion and the absence of Coach Roger Neilson, the Flyers eliminated the defending East champion Buffalo Sabres in five games.

Here’s a look at the conference semifinals: