San Jose Sharks look to make Golden Knights fold in second round

The San Jose Sharks,  and Vegas Golden Knights, coming off first-round sweeps, face off in the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

For the San Jose Sharks, rest is a luxury come playoff which proved beneficiary after a physical affair against the Anaheim Ducks in the first round. The Sharks made quick work of the Ducks, for whom, leadership was lacking, put on an embarrassing display of hockey.

For now, health is important for two crucial Sharks players in Evander Kane and Brent Burns. Kane missed a few games before the regular season ended and showed signs of an apparent hand injury.

San Jose’s offense got a boost after Kane was acquired at the trade deadline and his scoring must continue.

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Burns left game three during the Sharks’ 8-1 romp over the Ducks and did not return. He did play in the series clincher but has been off the ice during practices. His injury does not appear concerning to head coach, Peter DeBoer, but his ability to jump in on offense provides a threat to keep opponents off balance.

If Burns cannot play to the best of his ability because of his injury, San Jose could have some trouble generating offense.

The current lineup did a stable job in shutting down Anaheim and sweeping the series.

Given the fact the Sharks made the playoffs after Joe Thornton went down says a lot about how the players have stepped up since the grizzly vet left.

Thornton continues to progress and could possibly make a return depending on whether or not, the Sharks can continue their run.

DeBoer already ruled Thornton out of the first game against Vegas.

A dilemma could be on hand for DeBoer should Thornton get the clearance to play. To put him back on an established line could be difficult as it may disrupt the current chemistry.

Until the green is light is given though, DeBoer is focusing on getting his side ready for a matchup which could end up going seven games. The Sharks went 1-2-1 against the Golden Knights this season, and all the games were close.

Martin Jones became the elite goaltender against the Ducks that he was 2016 as he was lights out from the start against Anaheim. Injuries that plagued Jones no longer hinder him, as his backstopping helped the Sharks prevail over the Ducks.

Jones must continue the trend as his counterpart with Vegas, Marc-Andre Fleury, backstopped the Golden Knights to advance to face the Sharks.

Vegas is no ordinary expansion team. Top to bottom, this team is constructed with speed and players with chips on their shoulders. Almost every line could be the first or second line with the mixture of veterans and young players selected from the expansion draft.

Credit goes to the Vegas ownership in what has been a remarkable first-year as the Golden Knights won the Pacific Division.

Fleury is a big part of the equation as to why the Golden Knights sent shockwaves throughout the year and are the darlings of the NHL.

In what was a downright nasty series, Vegas overcame Los Angeles by being relentless on offense and taking advantage of scoring opportunities.

San Jose Sharks

Like Jones, Fleury was the difference with Vegas continuing to make history.

Defensively, the Sharks have a better core as Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Justin Braun will be tasked with shutting down the top line of Vegas.

The top line of Jon Marchessault, James Neal, and William Karlsson were the most productive line this season for Vegas.

On offense, Tomas Hertl and Marcus Sorensen must continue their positive outings from the series against Anaheim. Hertl was perhaps the best forward against the Ducks. Sorensen looks to be a playoff-type player as he kept the trend from last postseason against Edmonton going.

San Jose’s third and fourth lines were active last series and allowed DeBoer to keep the line changes moving efficiently.

DeBoer will hope to continue putting all four lines out at any given point of the game as the playoff run moves forward.

Traffic in front of Fleury is critical for the Sharks as the netminder is on top of his game. The power play was not great against Anaheim but showed flashes of how deadly the attack can be with good puck movement.

San Jose is a heavy underdog as Las Vegas wants to keep their magical run going. Play of the goalies will ultimately decide this round.

Next: San Jose Sharks Sweep Anaheim to Open Playoffs

A duel is about to get underway between Jones and Fleury as the Sharks, and Golden Knights square off in second-round action. The Sharks will go all in and hopefully be the ones remaining at the table.

Prediction: Sharks in six.