San Jose Sharks: Top 3 takeaways from Game 1 of the first round

1. The Erik Karlsson effect is real

Erik Karlsson is back and in full force.

After missing 27 of the team’s final 33 regular season games due to a nagging groin injury, the team’s star defenseman returned with a vengeance on Wednesday night. Karlsson showed no signs of rust finishing the game with two beautiful assists and making a difference every time he stepped foot on the ice.

Perhaps the most encouraging sign of all was that Karlsson played a healthy 26:25 and looked like his old self showing no indication that the groin injury that bothered him for so long was still affecting him. He absorbed a big hit from Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb in the first period and played a physical game throughout.

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Karlsson’s transition game has always been one of his strongest suits as he has speed on the ice that very few skaters could match, defenseman or not. That was on full display during a rare scenario in the second period that saw the two squads square-off in some thrilling regulation 3-on-3 hockey.

Karlsson and fellow stud defenseman Brent Burns were on the ice together with center Tomas Hertl when Karlsson took the puck up ice and laid a beautiful drop pass for Burns who then sniped it past goalie Marc-Andre Fleury for the goal. It’s a rare sight to see 3-on-3 hockey in regulation already, let alone to see it with two defensemen on the ice.

But that’s just the effect that Karlsson, along with Burns, brings to the team.

When he’s at his best, he’s often the best player on the ice and teams need to plan around him. If he could continue to play at this level, the Golden Knights will have a tough time advancing past the first round.

With a healthy Karlsson, there’s no telling how far the Sharks could advance in the postseason. The sky — or rather the Stanley Cup Finals — is the limit.