SHARKS-GOLDEN KNIGHTS MATCHUPS
The Sharks might be the Western Conference’s most forgotten team heading into the second round of the NHL playoffs. The Vegas Golden Knights are the sentimental favorite as an expansion team crashing the party. The Nashville Predators are once again all-in and might be the favorites to win the Stanley Cup a year after advancing to the final for the first time. And what’s not to like about the Winnipeg Jets with all of their size, skill and speed? It sure seems as if the Sharks are flying under the radar, even after sweeping the Anaheim Ducks in the first round. Even sports betting lines have the Sharks as the least-likely Western Conference team to make the Cup final. The Sharks have a chance to change that perception when their series with the Golden Knights begins today in Las Vegas. San Jose went 1-2-1 against Vegas this season, with three games decided by one goal. Here’s a look at the matchups in the series.
CENTERS
The Golden Knights are led by William Karlsson, who had a team-high 43 goals in the regular season and was a plus-49. Four of his goals came against the Sharks, including a dazzling shorthanded game-winner on March 31 at T-Mobile Arena. Eric Haula added 29 goals and leads a powerful second line. Cody Eakin and Pierre-Édouard Bellemare are solid third- and fourth-line centers who fit right in with Vegas’ style of play. Even without Joe Thornton, the Sharks’ centers outplayed the Ducks’ centers by a wide margin in the first round. Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture tied for the team lead with five points each against Anaheim, Chris Tierney was second behind Tomas Hertl in the number of defensivezone faceoffs he won, and Eric Fehr led an impressive fourth line. In a series that figures to be close, this is an area the Sharks must be better to have any chance of winning. The possible return of Thornton might be the X-factor. EDGE: Sharks.
WINGERS
One of the great strengths of the Golden Knights’ forward group is its ability to come at opponents in waves. Vegas is relentless. Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault were excellent in the first round against the Los Angeles Kings, combining for five assists, and Marchessault and James Neal tied for the team lead with 17 shots on net apiece in the four-game sweep. Alex Tuch is a load at 6-foot-4 and more than 220 pounds. David Perron, author of 50 assists this season, is healthy again. Tomas Tatar and Ryan Reaves, two tradedeadline acquisitions, are expected to be scratched for Game 1 — an indication that this is a deep and cohesive forward group. The play of the Sharks’ wingers against the Ducks helped make the team the complete four-line unit it has always strived to be. Evander Kane, Joonas Donskoi, Hertl, and Timo Meier all performed well, but it was the contributions of Marcus Sorensen, Melker Karlsson and Mikkel Boedker that also made a big difference. Can they do it again against a deeper Golden Knights team? With the way Vegas works, the Sharks can’t afford to have any passengers.
EDGE: Golden Knights.
DEFENSE
The Brayden McNabb-Nate Schmidt pairing will see a lot of the Pavelski line, and Deryk Engelland and Shea Theodore will probably see a lot of the Couture line. Those two pairs make the Golden Knights deeper than the Ducks were on the blue line. Theodore had five points in four games against the Sharks. Vegas allowed an average of more than 30 shots per game to the Kings, but its defensemen did a solid job of limiting seam passes and second and third chances. The Sharks know, by in large, that they will get a solid series from MarcEdouard Vlasic and Justin Braun, who will no doubt be lined up quite a bit against Karlsson’s line. But how much of an impact on the offensive end can Brent Burns make, especially if Golden Knights make slowing him job No. 1. Is Paul Martin’s skating ability good enough to keep up with Vegas’ fast forward group? Brenden Dillon and Dylan DeMelo have been a solid third pair. EDGE: Sharks.
GOALTENDING
The most intriguing matchup will be in net, after the Sharks’ Martin Jones and the Golden Knights’ MarcAndre Fleury were brilliant in the first round. Jones was busier than perhaps the Sharks wanted him to be in the final two games of the Ducks series, and it will be up to the skaters in front of him to take care of the puck to limit Grade-A chances. On Fleury, the Sharks need to stay on the attack, get shots through from the point, take advantage of odd-man rushes and keep him off balance. The more he settles in, the better he is. EDGE: Push.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Don’t expect the Sharks to get an average of five power play chances per game as they did against the Ducks. Vegas will be more disciplined. But with two capable units, it’s fair to say the Sharks need to make an impact on the power play. Vegas’ power play was ranked 11th in the NHL this year at 21.4 percent, a tad better than San Jose at 20.6 percent (16th). Its one goal with the man advantage came from Haula in Game 2 for a 2-1 win in double overtime. San Jose’s penalty kill was ranked second in the NHL at 84.8 percent. Vegas’ PK was 10th at 81.4 percent.
EDGE: Sharks.
COACHING
There’s not much doubt that Vegas’ Gerard Gallant will win the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s coach of the year this season. As impressive as it was for general manager George McPhee to assemble the roster, Gallant was just as impressive in establishing an identity and getting the group to play as a unit. Last change is important, and Vegas will have it for up to four games, but neither Gallant nor Sharks coach Pete DeBoer will spend a lot of time chasing matchups. Still, you have to wonder if that little bit of extra experience DeBoer has in playoff time pays off at some point. EDGE: Push.
SERIES PREDICTION
The Sharks won’t win this in a sweep. But this series brings to mind last year’s Sharks-Edmonton series. They are underdogs to some extent, but the Sharks will be competitive in each game, and it will be up to them to capitalize on their precious few opportunities when they arise.
PREDICTION: Golden Knights in seven games.