San Jose Sharks: 3 keys to victory against the Golden Knights

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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 16: Martin Jones #31 of the San Jose Sharks makes a save on a shot taken by Antoine Roussel #26 of the Vancouver Canucks at SAP Center on February 16, 2019 in San Jose, California. San Jose Sharks playoffs (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

1. Eliminate the goaltending advantage

There has perhaps been no greater disadvantage for the Sharks this season than the play of their goaltenders. Martin Jones has returned as the team’s starting goalie and put together his worst season in his four-year tenure with San Jose.

The former Los Angeles Kings goalie is sporting an ugly .896 which is “good” for dead last among all starting goalies in the NHL. His 2.95 goals against average isn’t stunningly bad, but it does rank third-worst out of all NHL goalies with at least 50 starts.

On the contract, Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has been mostly solid this year and is certainly no stranger to the postseason. While he hasn’t been as dominant as he was last season, Fleury started 60 games for the first time in four years and still boasts a solid .913 save percentage.

As it stands on paper, the Golden Knights have the overall goaltending advantage.

If the Sharks are going to come out on top in this series, they are going to need to eliminate that advantage one way or another. Whether that comes from Jones stepping up as he so often has done down the stretch or from elsewhere, the performance gap must be removed.

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Fleury has been banged up as of late which could benefit the Sharks if the four-time NHL All-Star’s play suffers as a result. But more than likely, it will be up to Jones to step up his game and show out in the playoffs.

It’s been a rough season for the struggling Jones, but all could be forgotten if he bounces back and thrives in the playoffs.

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