San Jose Sharks Pacific Cup Season 4 Regular Season Recap + Playoff Storylines

With the regular season of the 4th San Jose Sharks Pacific Cup presented by WD_Black wrapping up, we look towards the playoffs and the many storylines that come to fruition. After a wild rostermania with many teams swapping players, including many high reputation teams making large overhauls, the competition feels as wide open as ever. While there are still tiers among competitors, the line between certain levels feels closer than before with different players joining forces, along with old cores holding strong. We’ll go over the top storylines of the regular season heading into playoffs.

Can Anyone Stop IslesGT?

It’s no secret that IslesGT has been a force since their inception, but it feels like they have been pulling away from the back with each passing event. Their record of 28-4-0 gives them top seed of the regular season, a result they’ve achieved in 4 of their past 6 events. Many could point to perhaps a weaker schedule for the blue and orange, but it’s simply not the case. In fact, IslesGT had the most difficult schedule out of any team during the event, with over 80% of their games against playoff teams, as well as over 55% of their games against top 10 seeds. They managed a 22-4 record and a 15-3 record in those categories respectively, by far the best records out of any playoff team. So not only have they played the best, they’ve looked the best. With many teams looking to find their footing with new rosters, IslesGT has held firm on their roster, and it looks to payoff big for them.

The Open Field of Contenders

With many top teams opting for some sort of roster renewal for this event, the so called power rankings of teams heading into the regular season felt rocky at best. This sentiment remans the same with playoffs looming, as the top 10 especially features plenty of teams looking to make their mark on a new era in 6s. While teams like Underdogs have returned from hiatus and look as strong as ever, the difference between the second seed and even the 10th seed feels very small. IGT Open winners Caps Gaming look poised for another deep run,  but their path to a 2nd title looks a lot more difficult than in their most recent win. Every team in the top 10 has some degree of elite pedigree and reputation that can justify their position as an true contender for the title, which each core having some form of a deep run in recent events. You could go through the whole list and make a case for a large number of teams to put on a show this playoffs, but with the regular season format being so varied, it will come down to who does well in crunch time to get a better picture. Matchups and who shows up on game days the best will truly be the deciding factor between these teams in a very close race. 

Will a Dark Horse Step Up?

Well there are an abundance of teams in the top 10 looking to make their Mark as an elite team of the 2024 season,  this also can open the door for teams below the top contenders to complete a Cinderella story type of run to cement their place among the best in North America. Teams like Empire and Unknown Talent have been increasing their placements slowly but surely over their most recent events and come into the playoffs as favorites to win rounds rather than a pure dark horse team.  This doesn't even consider teams that may be slightly below the top seeds,  but should not be underestimated.  Teams such as Starstruck, Are You Nervous, BBB, or Ascension all have won playoff rounds or even tournaments in the past,  and could surprise teams if not prepared for accordingly. The reality is the regular season standings is extremely close,  with the 32nd seed and the 11th seed separated by only 9 points. Therefore,  any team is capable of making a run, or could provide a shock matchup.

Tune into the playoffs tonight at 9pm est at twitch.tv/sanjosesharks to catch all the action. We'll have all of the coverage and stats here on the site!