Ben Margot/AP Photo
San Jose Sharks’ Joe Pavelski (8) reacts after scoring a goal against Vegas Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, right, during the first period of Game 1 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series Wednesday, April 10, 2019, in San Jose, Calif. At left is Golden Knights defenseman Nick Holden.
Friday, April 12, 2019 | 2 a.m.
Vegas Golden Podcast
April Madness
Justin Emerson and Case Keefer celebrate the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by filling out their brackets all the way to the final. That comes only after a talk on all the key figures and matchups of the Vegas Golden Knights' first-round series against the San Jose Sharks.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — No team in the NHL received better production from its blue line than the San Jose Sharks, so it’s not a major surprise that the Golden Knights yielded two goals and four assists to Sharks defensemen in Game 1 of the Western Conference quarterfinals.
Slowing down the San Jose defensemen will be the key to tying the series today during Game 2. But that is easier said than done.
“The best thing we can do is keep the puck out of their hands,” Vegas forward Reilly Smith said. “They’re obviously pretty talented and they get up the ice well, but if you can eliminate them from the play early, it makes a big difference.”
San Jose defensemen combined for 221 points during the regular season. Brent Burns had 83 points, Erik Karlsson had 45, Marc-Edouard Vlasic had 25. All three had two points on Wednesday in Game 1, a 5-2 victory for the Sharks. For comparison, the Golden Knights’ top three scoring defensemen were Shea Theodore (37 points), Nate Schmidt (30) and Colin Miller (29), and Miller was a healthy scratch on Wednesday.
Related Content
The San Jose defensemen are even more dangerous when they have room to move like they did in Game 1. Burns scored at 3-on-3, Vlasic at 4-on-4 and Burns picked up an assist on Joe Pavelski’s face-goal during the power play.
The Golden Knights took five penalties to San Jose’s four. The Sharks scored three goals while a Vegas player was in the penalty box, which not-so-coincidentally was the difference in the game.
“You always want to stay out of the box, but especially against a team with that much firepower,” Vegas defenseman Deryk Engelland said. “You've definitely got to stay out of there, keep them at even strength and go from there.”
Staying out of the box is one option, but the Sharks also controlled the game at 5-on-5 through the first two periods. The Golden Knights had only 10 shots on goal in the first two periods, which put them in a 4-1 hole going to the third.
“We didn’t shoot enough, and when we did they blocked our shots,” forward William Carrier said. “We've got to get pucks to the net and get bodies there.”
Vegas has plenty of time to get back into the series. A Game 2 win on Friday shifts home-ice advantage in the Golden Knights’ favor, with three of the remaining five games at T-Mobile Arena if the series goes seven games.
But if the Golden Knights can’t find a way to stop the Sharks’ defensemen from running wild like they did in Game 1, it won’t make it that far, and the Golden Knights could see their offseason come early.
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy