For a team with so much playoff experience, it's hard to fathom this will be the San Jose Sharks' first appearance in the Stanley Cup Final. After making the playoffs for 10 consecutive seasons, the Sharks underwent a head-to-toe makeover last offseason. With a new coach, a new captain, and a new goalie, at last San Jose has taken that extra step.

A lot has to go right to reach hockey's finale, and a lot has for the Sharks. They erased the ghosts of their playoff past by crushing the Los Angeles Kings, then followed up with a massive Game 7 win on home ice over the pesky Nashville Predators. After topping the St. Louis Blues in six games, the Sharks made history, and sit four wins away from the ultimate prize.

Above all else, it takes team chemistry to get to this point of the season, and San Jose oozes it throughout its lineup. Here are three combinations that can close it out against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Hertl - Thornton - Pavelski

It's no secret Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski are the key to San Jose's offense, but the addition of Tomas Hertl to the Sharks' top line has made it nearly unstoppable. While Thornton and Pavelski rightfully earn power-play minutes, Hertl has produced best at even strength, where he's scored nine of his 10 postseason points.

The trio works near flawlessly in unison, as each player has a role on the top line. Hertl's the retriever, Thronton is the distributor, while Pavelski is the finisher.

Marleau - Couture - Donskoi

It would be unfair to praise the Sharks' offense without crediting the play of Logan Couture. The 27-year-old leads the playoffs in points with 24, and has anchored San Jose's lethal second line.

Alongside Couture is Patrick Marleau, the longest serving Shark. Marleau has contributed 12 points in 18 games, and it's hard to imagine anything but him relishing his first opportunity at Lord Stanley's chalice.

Joonas Donskoi has been a pleasant surprise in San Jose's top six as well. In his first Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Finn has notched nine points, and pushes the pace of the team's second line. Much like the line ahead of them, these three can all score, and have been a nightmare to contain thus far.

Vlasic - Braun

Pittsburgh's depth is arguably its greatest asset, and while Brent Burns and Paul Martin will face the brunt of their minutes versus Sidney Crosby, it will largely be up to Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Justin Braun to neutralize the rest of the Penguins' dangerous lineup.

Quietly, Vlasic has become one of the most steady defensemen in the league. He doesn't garner much exposure, but the Stanley Cup Final should deservedly shine some light on his abilities.

He scored 39 points in the regular season, and has notched one goal and 10 assists in the playoffs while averaging over 23 minutes per game.

Meanwhile, Braun has turned into the perfect complementary defenseman to round out the Sharks' top four. Much like Vlasic, the 29-year-old isn't flashy, but consistently makes smart decisions with the puck.

He doesn't possess the offensive upside of Vlasic, only recording four assists in 18 games, but Braun is a plus-seven in the postseason, and has blocked 37 shots. Given Vlasic's power-play time, Braun averages slightly less ice-time, but at even strength, the duo thrives together.

Vlasic and Braun will be facing the likes of Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust, and the "HBK" line, and if Pittsburgh's depth is held in check, San Jose should be in great shape to win it all.

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Phil Kessel struggled to find words following a Game 7 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

In less than a year, one of the game's top goal-scorers has traveled from under the microscope in Toronto to near the top of the hockey world, helping the Pittsburgh Penguins come within four victories of a Stanley Cup championship.

And while his exclusion from Team USA's World Cup roster has raised questions about his character and conditioning, Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan explains how important Kessel has become to the team both on and off the ice.

"I'm thrilled for Phil," Sullivan said Saturday, according to Wes Crosby of NHL.com. "I think he's a big reason why we're playing today. His contribution to this team, over the last four months or so, has been tremendous. I think he's really enjoying the team. I think he's enjoying this whole process.

"I think, what we're all seeing, is how competitive he is and how badly he wants to win. To see him express that to his teammates is exciting. I think his teammates are enjoying it as well. Phil's a reserved guy. To see him let loose a little bit and show his emotions, I think it's great for his teammates and I think it's great for him."

Through 18 playoff games, it's Kessel and not Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin who leads the Penguins in scoring, with nine goals and nine assists. For his career, he's averaging almost a point per game in the postseason, having scored 22 goals and 17 assists in 40 appearances.

Should the Penguins defeat the San Jose Sharks in the Final, Kessel will in the running for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, and it would be a well-deserved honor for a guy's who's fallen into the open arms of the Penguins after being pushed out the door by his previous club.

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Not much can phase P.K. Subban.

The charismatic Montreal Canadiens defenseman was left off Team Canada's World Cup roster for September, but Subban, often a lightning rod for media speculation, is taking the decision gracefully.

The 27-year-old won gold for Canada at the Sochi Olympics, but his omission from September's tournament didn't come as a surprise.

"No, I'm not surprised," Subban told Sportsnet on Saturday. "It's a selection process. So, either you get selected or you don't. All you can do is be a model citizen. I'm Canadian so I support my country and I support my team just like everybody else."

Subban registered 51 points in 68 games throughout a rocky season in Montreal, but Canada added Brent Burns, Jake Muzzin, and Alex Pietrangelo to its final roster Friday.

Although he won't be apart of it, he'll be content with seeing his countrymen take home gold.

"I mean everybody wants to make the team, right?" Subban said." And there's a bunch of guys that I'm sure wanted to be on the team. But that's the way it goes. ... When I was speaking to (general manager) Doug Armstrong, my No. 1 thing was I just want to see Canada win gold. So I'll be there cheering just like everybody else."

The tournament gets underway Sept. 17 in Toronto.

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Only one series remains in the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and with the San Jose Sharks and Pittsburgh Penguins set out to do battle for hockey supremacy, the path to this year's final was incredibly unpredictable - finally.

The postseason started with three new division winners in the Florida Panthers, Dallas Stars, and Washington Capitals, and for the first time in 46 years, no Canadian teams were in the running. Although it started unfamiliar, now that a maximum of only seven games remain, hockey fans should take solace in the fact that for the first time in four years, commissioner Gary Bettman will be handing the Stanley Cup to someone other than Jonathan Toews or Dustin Brown.

Recently, parity in the NHL has vanished, but the Sharks and Penguins - two teams riddled with compelling storylines - offer something new.

Sure, the Penguins won it all in 2009, but only five players from that playoff roster remain with the club. And who remembers a 21-year-old Sidney Crosby anyway?

This is a reborn Penguins team, taking on a Sharks team with an ageless core that's finally reached new heights; ultimately providing one of the more interesting narratives the final has seen in years.

Both teams are incredibly similar, driven by blazing speed and reliable depth. But also having overcome much adversity to reach this point. The Sharks got a new coach, added pieces, and transitioned in the offseason, while Pittsburgh retooled themselves on the fly, starting with the hiring of head coach Mike Sullivan in December.

Whether it's Joe Thornton's (or Brent Burns') beard, the oft-ridiculed Phil Kessel overcome with joy about reaching this point, or two goaltenders shining in their first taste of the playoffs, there's something in this series for everybody.

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It appears Alex Chiasson's days as a member of the Ottawa Senators are over.

According to a report by Dhiren Mahiban of The Hockey News, Chiassion's agent, Kent Hughes, confirmed the 25-year-old is expected to be dealt ahead of June's draft.

"I think that's a potential scenario, but I don't know if you ever really know if anything materializes until it happens," Hughes said. "But yeah, (a trade) wouldn't surprise me."

Chiasson went to the Senators from the Dallas Stars as a part of the Jason Spezza trade, and is a pending restricted free agent. He scored only 14 points in 77 games this season.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs and Philadelphia Flyers have to be very pleased with the progress made by their top prospects this season.

London Knights forward and Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick Mitch Marner has been named the Canadian Hockey League player of the year Saturday, while Brandon Wheat Kings defenseman and Philadelphia Flyers prospect Ivan Provorov earned defenseman of the year honors.

Including the OHL playoffs, Marner recorded 55 goals and 160 points in 75 games this past season, while Provorov scored 24 goals and totaled 86 points in 83 games on Brandon's blue line.

WHL goalie Carter Hart and OHL forward Alex Nylander - both of whom are draft eligible - earned goalie and rookie of the year awards, respectively.

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It's not hyperbole to suggest the fate of the Tampa Bay Lightning's future lies in the hands of general manager Steve Yzerman.

Fresh off two consecutive trips to the Eastern Conference finals and a Stanley Cup appearance a year ago, the club faces a period during which its core players will be seeking new contracts.

With the NHL's salary cap set to remain stagnant, the challenge will be keeping the band together for a few more cracks at creating the ultimate hit record.

"The next two summers will kind of define our team the next seven or eight years," Yzerman said Friday. "I have an idea of what we want to do. And we're doing our best to get everyone to buy in to what we're trying to do and keep it together."

Here's a look at the most significant contractual challenges that lie ahead:

(Courtesy: General Fanager)

Gulp.

The Steven Stamkos situation will be a significant marker on this journey. Whether a huge amount of money is sent his way by the Lightning will largely dictate what the team is able to do with the rest of the high-end talent on the roster.

That the club was able to push the Pittsburgh Penguins to seven games largely without the services of Stamkos and starting goaltender Ben Bishop may lend credence to the idea of building around the likes of Nikita Kucherov, Tyler Johnson, Victor Hedman and Andrei Vasilevskiy while filtering the money saved to complementary players.

How it all plays out is anyone's guess, and how Yzerman proceeds will not only define the Lightning, but his abilities as a general manager.

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