San Jose Sharks Open Playoffs with Sweep of Anaheim

Brilliant goaltending and depth scoring were the difference as the San Jose Sharks sent their So-Cal rivals packing in the opening series of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Before the start of the postseason, the San Jose Sharks sat comfortably in second place of the Pacific Division. An eight-game winning streak in March locked up another trip to the playoffs as the Sharks made a run for the top spot in the division.

In hindsight of the run, wins came mostly against non-playoff teams with the Vegas and New Jersey being the lone exceptions. The final six games of the regular would give a better indication of how prepared San Jose would be with potential matchups for the playoffs.

As a result, the Sharks entered the Western Conference first round contest with Anaheim not playing their best hockey. San Jose played physical and did not go away quietly but came away on the short-end of the scoreboard in losses to Nashville and St. Louis.

San Jose Sharks

A loss in Vegas saw the Golden Knights capture the Pacific Division in their inaugural season. The Sharks responded with a nice win over Colorado but got outplayed by an undermanned Minnesota Wild team.

Due to the slide, Anaheim leapfrogged San Jose to open the series in Southern California instead of the Bay Area.

San Jose took the season series against Anaheim this year. The last meeting came back in February when the Sharks scored two goals in the third period and topped the Ducks in the shootout.

Health on the Anaheim roster plagued them throughout the season. Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler missed significant time with injuries. John Gibson could not stay healthy as the Ducks’ starting goaltender was in and out of the lineup.

Agitation is one area the Ducks try to take advantage of on opponents as the Sharks are all too familiar with one particular nemesis in Corey Perry. The physicality was expected, and the Ducks brought the heavy hitting throughout the series.

But the Ducks have been undisciplined throughout the season and the bad habits carried into the first round with the Sharks. Perry did his typical antics which ultimately led to the Ducks’ demise in the series.

Frustration began to mount with Anaheim as the wheels started to fall off on Randy Carlyle’s squad. Undisciplined penalties at inopportune times gave all the ammunition the Sharks needed as the team stayed disciplined and did not retaliate as the Ducks’ had hoped for to even the penalties.

An embarrassing display came on hand in game three as the Sharks rightfully lit the lamp in an 8-1 beatdown of the Ducks. The game was in hand for the Sharks but the unnecessary penalties, notably by Perry, became a laugher.

In the end, Anaheim could not solve one piece of the puzzle and the primary reason San Jose swept the series – Martin Jones.

Gibson did a great job in keeping the Ducks within reach during games but got outdueled soundly by his counterpart at the other end.

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By far, an absolute dazzling display was on hand as Jones was lights out between the pipes. Jones did not have the type of season showing he could carry the Sharks into a deep playoff run back in 2016. The starter dealt with an injury during the year and only got back to full strength in the second half of the season.

Jones flipped the switch, posting a shutout in Game 1 of the Sharks’ 3-0 win to begin the series. Confidence beamed through Jones as he challenged shots and squared himself up to find pucks through traffic and get the whistle.

Only once did the Sharks trail throughout the series against the Ducks. Jakob Silfverberg got the Ducks up early in Game 2 after a fluky goal got past Jones. With a hostile crowd getting fired up early, Jones remained calm and came up with huge saves at critical junctures.

Marcus Sorensen and Logan Couture scored to give the Sharks a 2-1 lead after being banged up along the boards and all over the ice by the Ducks. Once with an edge, Anaheim tries to wear down opponents with body checks and playing defense by keeping the puck away.

On the blue line, the Ducks were missing their top defenseman in Cam Fowler, who got injured just before the playoffs began. Fowler has been a pest in recent years against the Sharks, and his absence was sorely missed for the Ducks.

With a thin blue line, the speed of San Jose took full advantage, driving by Anaheim defenders and creating odd-man attacks after the miscues from the defense.

Evander Kane finally got see some postseason action after being acquired by the Sharks just before the trade deadline. Before the series, Kane felt he was a playoff-type person with his physical play and tendency to score goals. He backed up his claim with two goals in the opening game.

Offense and goal production from the third and fourth lines came from the Sharks against the Ducks which will be needed throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In this series, the play by Jones in net was the deciding factor in the Sharks coming out on top.

For current Sharks’ players who were on the team during the 2008-09 campaign, the series sweep over Anaheim is perhaps a sweet one as it avenges the loss suffered from that year in the playoffs.

Next: Sharks Boast A Solid Lineup After Addition of Kane

Thankfully, the Sharks do not have to worry about blowing a 3-0 lead to another So-Cal team.

San Jose’s march continues to the Western Conference Semifinals with the Vegas Golden Knights up next. If Jones can keep his solid performance into the next round, the Sharks have a chance to get back to the final.