Goaltending duel between Fleury, Jones highlights second-round series
by Lisa Dillman @reallisa / NHL.com Staff Writer
Vegas Golden Knights vs. San Jose Sharks
Golden Knights: 51-24-7, 109 points, first in Pacific
Sharks: 45-27-10, 100 points, third in Pacific
Season series: VGK 3-0-1; SJS 1-2-1
The skinny
For the eighth time in NHL history -- and the second time in the past 22 years -- two teams will meet in the Stanley Cup Playoffs after each swept an opponent in the preceding best-of-7 series. The good news for the Vegas Golden Knights and the San Jose Sharks: Six of the previous eight times, the victor went on to win the Stanley Cup.
[RELATED: Complete Golden Knights vs. Sharks series coverage]
Vegas won three of the four regular-season games against San Jose with Jonathan Marchessault (six points), William Karlsson (five) and Shea Theodore (five) leading the way offensively.
In the playoffs, each team has tightened up defensively, with the Golden Knights allowing three goals in four games to the Los Angeles Kings, and the Sharks allowing four goals in four games against the Anaheim Ducks.
Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant said the commitment to defense will ultimately determine how far they advance in the playoffs.
"I think that's the identity of our team," Gallant said. "People say we score a lot of goals, we're a good offensive club. I think when we played these games that meant a lot to us, really important games, if you look back at these key games, we always had a great defensive game."
Each team will have a lengthy break before the series begins with Game 1 at Vegas on Thursday. Vegas eliminated Los Angeles on April 17; San Jose advanced by defeating Anaheim on April 18.
"You definitely have to do some planning on how this is going to go," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. "We're going to try to keep our rhythm of a series going. Go hard, and then easy, and then hard. That's the thought process behind it."
The Golden Knights had a few days off before resuming practice, and mixed in a little scrimmaging to stay sharp. Game 1 is at Vegas on Thursday (10 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS).
"We know them, they know us," Gallant said. "We've played each other four times. You watch a lot of their games because you're on the West Coast. They're a good, solid hockey team. They remind you of L.A. a lot. They've been to a Stanley Cup Final a few years ago (2016). They have a lot of experience and they have a lot of good hockey players. We'll see what happens."
Game breaker
Sharks: Center Logan Couture had a San Jose-high 34-goals in the regular season, and with Joe Pavelski gives San Jose a strong one-two scoring punch down the middle. When San Jose reached the Stanley Cup Final two years ago, Couture led the playoffs with 30 points (10 goals, 20 assists) in 24 games, six more than the runner-up, Sharks defenseman Brent Burns.
Golden Knights: Center William Karlsson was limited to one goal against the Kings but scored 43 in the regular season after combining for 18 in his first four NHL seasons. Karlsson was their most reliable scorer in the regular season; he had 14 more goals than runner-up Erik Haula. Expect Karlsson to see a lot of defensemen Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Justin Braun in this series.
Video: VGK@LAK, Gm3: Karlsson buries great pass from Smith
X-factor
Sharks: Forward Marcus Sorensen scored five regular-season goals in 32 games but had three in the first round, contributing to the balanced attack that helped San Jose score 16 goals in the series. Sorensen, 26, was signed as a free agent May 13, 2016 and has spent most of his first two professional seasons playing for their American Hockey League affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda.
Golden Knights: Forward Reilly Smith missed 15 games down the stretch recovering from an upper-body injury before returning for the regular-season finale against the Calgary Flames. Smith, 27, a fixture on the top line with Karlsson and Marchessault, had three assists against Los Angeles but hasn't scored since March 2 against the Ottawa Senators. Smith, who scored 22 goals during the regular season, is capable of a break-out series
by Lisa Dillman @reallisa / NHL.com Staff Writer
Vegas Golden Knights vs. San Jose Sharks
Golden Knights: 51-24-7, 109 points, first in Pacific
Sharks: 45-27-10, 100 points, third in Pacific
Season series: VGK 3-0-1; SJS 1-2-1
The skinny
For the eighth time in NHL history -- and the second time in the past 22 years -- two teams will meet in the Stanley Cup Playoffs after each swept an opponent in the preceding best-of-7 series. The good news for the Vegas Golden Knights and the San Jose Sharks: Six of the previous eight times, the victor went on to win the Stanley Cup.
[RELATED: Complete Golden Knights vs. Sharks series coverage]
Vegas won three of the four regular-season games against San Jose with Jonathan Marchessault (six points), William Karlsson (five) and Shea Theodore (five) leading the way offensively.
In the playoffs, each team has tightened up defensively, with the Golden Knights allowing three goals in four games to the Los Angeles Kings, and the Sharks allowing four goals in four games against the Anaheim Ducks.
Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant said the commitment to defense will ultimately determine how far they advance in the playoffs.
"I think that's the identity of our team," Gallant said. "People say we score a lot of goals, we're a good offensive club. I think when we played these games that meant a lot to us, really important games, if you look back at these key games, we always had a great defensive game."
Each team will have a lengthy break before the series begins with Game 1 at Vegas on Thursday. Vegas eliminated Los Angeles on April 17; San Jose advanced by defeating Anaheim on April 18.
"You definitely have to do some planning on how this is going to go," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. "We're going to try to keep our rhythm of a series going. Go hard, and then easy, and then hard. That's the thought process behind it."
The Golden Knights had a few days off before resuming practice, and mixed in a little scrimmaging to stay sharp. Game 1 is at Vegas on Thursday (10 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS).
"We know them, they know us," Gallant said. "We've played each other four times. You watch a lot of their games because you're on the West Coast. They're a good, solid hockey team. They remind you of L.A. a lot. They've been to a Stanley Cup Final a few years ago (2016). They have a lot of experience and they have a lot of good hockey players. We'll see what happens."
Game breaker
Sharks: Center Logan Couture had a San Jose-high 34-goals in the regular season, and with Joe Pavelski gives San Jose a strong one-two scoring punch down the middle. When San Jose reached the Stanley Cup Final two years ago, Couture led the playoffs with 30 points (10 goals, 20 assists) in 24 games, six more than the runner-up, Sharks defenseman Brent Burns.
Golden Knights: Center William Karlsson was limited to one goal against the Kings but scored 43 in the regular season after combining for 18 in his first four NHL seasons. Karlsson was their most reliable scorer in the regular season; he had 14 more goals than runner-up Erik Haula. Expect Karlsson to see a lot of defensemen Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Justin Braun in this series.
Video: VGK@LAK, Gm3: Karlsson buries great pass from Smith
X-factor
Sharks: Forward Marcus Sorensen scored five regular-season goals in 32 games but had three in the first round, contributing to the balanced attack that helped San Jose score 16 goals in the series. Sorensen, 26, was signed as a free agent May 13, 2016 and has spent most of his first two professional seasons playing for their American Hockey League affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda.
Golden Knights: Forward Reilly Smith missed 15 games down the stretch recovering from an upper-body injury before returning for the regular-season finale against the Calgary Flames. Smith, 27, a fixture on the top line with Karlsson and Marchessault, had three assists against Los Angeles but hasn't scored since March 2 against the Ottawa Senators. Smith, who scored 22 goals during the regular season, is capable of a break-out series
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