Scottie Upshall registered a goal, Peter Mueller had a goal, Ed Jovanovski scored, Zbynek Michalek added a goal, and the Phoenix Coyotes defeated San Jose Sharks 4-1 last week. Upshall, Jovanovski, and Michalek scored in the first 24 minutes of the contest, and Mueller would tally his late goal on a breakaway. The Sharks finally registered a goal four minutes into the second period. Penalties killed the Sharks. After Upshall's early goal, two San Jose penalties gave Phoenix a 5-on-3 advantage for the final minutes of the period. The NHL's worst road power play team capitalized on San Jose's misfortune when Jovanovski teed it up from the slot with 18.7 seconds left. The goal whistled by Evgeni Nabokov, who stopped 13 shots. Get San Jose Sharks playoff tickets and see the best team in the West.

But the hero of the game had been Phoenix goalie Al Montoya. The former University of Michigan star made 40 unbelievable saves against the best team in the West. It was the rookie's third NHL victory, and the last-place Coyotes prevented the league-leading Sharks from clinching the league's best record and home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. Montoya almost had his second shutout of his five-game NHL career; Travis Moen spoiled his moment by scoring with only 7:38 to play. The game got physical for the Coyotes' goaltender when he lost his mask in a collision with Marcel Goc in the third period. The rookie handed San Jose their fifth loss at home, but most importantly the youngster denied the Sharks the President's Trophy.

The Sharks are optimistic and believe they will win the President's Trophy. They will get one more chance to win the trophy and secure home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs if they beat the Los Angeles Kings in their final game of the season. If the Sharks fail to secure that victory, the Boston Bruins could take home the trophy and claim home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs, but they must win against Buffalo Sabers and the New York Islanders. Boston has 114 points and a game in hand on the Sharks, who have 117 points. It's been two decades since a franchise west of Denver captured the President's Trophy. San Jose can become the first true West Coast team to claim the prize.

The Sharks' nemesis, the Detroit Red Wings, have won four of the past six regular-season titles. Since the Red Wings lost to the Predators in a shootout they have been eliminate from winning the trophy. The good news is that San Jose will finish as the top seeded team in the Western Conference, which means they won't have to play the pesky defending champion Red Wings until the conference finals. The bad news is that Captain Patrick Marleau and Ryane Clowe were unable to generate any points for San Jose. Both of them came back from injuries. Not only has injuries plagued the best team in the West, but the returning players have not gotten a chance to play on their regular lines, which could hurt San Jose heading into the post season.

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