How they win
San Jose:
- An NHL coach after the Sharks beat the Kings in the opening round told me, "They're the best team in the NHL right now." He said if you looked at how the Sharks have been playing in the final month of the regular season in games that mattered, it was a telltale sign of where their game was headed right before the playoffs. Boy, did the Kings ever find that out. And what killed the Kings was the Sharks' foot speed -- they were a step ahead of L.A. all series long in getting to loose pucks and open space. Another key factor is that the Sharks have been home and cooled since last Friday night after eliminating the Kings, while the Preds had to slug it out over seven games to get by Anaheim. That's no small factor at this time of year to enter a series with full energy and healthy bodies.
San Jose:
- Truth be told, as poised and confident and ultimately successful Martin Jones was in goal for the Sharks against his former team in the opening round, he was rarely ever tested on a consistent basis. The Sharks' blue-line corps did such a great job limiting time and space and rebounds on L.A. But my question is whether the Predators can muster more traffic and shot attempts at Jones, and if so just how the youngster will react. He might react just fine. But in his first season as a No. 1 goalie, we've yet to see him truly have to steal a game in the NHL playoffs.
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