VEGAS CRUSHES SHARKS

Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 33 shots for his third shutout of the playoffs, and the host Golden Knights destroyed the Sharks 7-0 in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.

Cody Eakin, Erik Haula and Jonathan Marchessault scored 1:31 apart early in the first period to get Vegas going. Alex Tuch, Shea Theodore, Colin Miller and James Neal also scored, Reilly Smith and William Karlsson each had three assists, and Marchessault and David Perron added two each.

Fleury, who improved to 5-0 in the playoffs, got his 13th career shutout in the playoffs — and second straight. He also blanked Los Angeles 1-0 in Game 4 of the first round.

The Golden Knights, the first team from the opening round to advance, showed no sign of rust after having nine days off since their first-round sweep over the Kings. From the opening puck drop, Vegas skated fast, its passes were crisp, and the players were in synch with one another. It has now outscored its opposition 14-3 in five games.

San Jose, which swept Anaheim in the first round, looked out of sorts by the time Vegas put its first three in the net just 6:02 into the game, and the Sharks lost their cool early in the third period, when Evander Kane was ejected for cross-checking Pierre-Edouard Bellemare in the face after a whistle.

It was the Sharks’ worst loss in playoff history. Detroit blanked San Jose 6-0 in the 1995 Western Conference semifinals. — AP