Quote:
Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan
People need to stop underestimating the Knights. They just beat a battle-hardened Kings team that found a way to largely shut down the Knights offense.
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No they didn't. I picked the Knights to win (though not a sweep) because speed through 4 lines was basically the worst possible thing the Kings could face. The Knights beat a slow, old, tired LA Kings team, and the Kings did very little to stop their offense, outside of Jonathan Quick, who had a tremendous series - but so did Fleury, so he couldn't steal any games. The Knights had plenty of shots and very few goals, because in the playoffs, superstars with elite finishing talent matter.
Of course, the Sharks don't have many of those guys, either. There's no Taylor Hall or Kucherov on their side. But they have tons and tons of speed, which is the thing the Kings lacked that made them lose. I think this series will be close, but really, you have two very similar teams - lots of forward depth, lots of transition speed, with solid goaltending. The players in San Jose's bottom six are very Golden-Knights-esque, and Sorenson and Melker Karlsson had a great first round. I'd say that who wins depends on:
1. Whether the Sharks' power play - which is a serious threat with Burns and Pavelski, not to mention a hot-streak Evander Kane - can pot a few. Joe Thornton coming back is another bonus; I wonder if they use him on the second unit though.
2. Whether Fleury continues to look like a God. The guy is a streaky goalie. That's currently a positive. If he keeps it up, they have a good chance to win. If he doesn't, well, Jones is playing pretty amazingly too: 1.00 GAA, .970 sv%.
3. Top guys vs. Top guys: Karlsson and Marchessault vs. Pavelski and Couture.
I think the Sharks power play cashes in enough to for a win. Sharks in 6.