Well, preferably you'd like to win the Supporter's Shield. And it would seem obvious that being the #1 seed is better as that guarantees you home field all the way through to the Cup final. But. Think about it. In the first round there won't be much difference between the #6 and #8 seeds. In fact, the #6 and #8 seeds could easily have the same amount of points at the end of the year (the only difference being a tiebreaker scenario). One team may be hotter, but there may not be much difference. In the 2nd round, the #1 seed is guaranteed to play the #4 or #5 seed, i.e., Colorado or Dallas. Tough Western Division opponents and pretty stiff competition, despite their history of playoff failures. Not easy. The #3 seed on the other hand will either be the home team against the #7 seed (a very preferable outcome, and not out of the question given how little difference there will be between the #2 and #7 seed), OR an away team v. the #2 seed. However, the #2 seed is from the East, and will likely have fewer points than the #4 or even #5 seed, and will arguably be a weaker team. Hence, being an away team won't be quite as bad a blow (unless you're SJ of course). Anyway, just throwing it out there. In the end, you probably want the home advantage no matter what, especially if you're San Jose, but being #3 has its advantages too.