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LA Kings vs. San Jose Sharks: Puck Daddy's NHL Playoff Preview
(The 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs are upon us. The good news for NBC: There are no Canadian teams to bring down the ratings. The bad news for Sportsnet: There are no Canadian teams to bring up the ratings. Such is life. Who wins the Cup? Read our insightful and informative playoff previews!)
How’d They Get Here?
The Kings held onto the Pacific Division lead for most of the season. Then after they clinched the postseason on March 19, they dropped quickly. They went 4-6-1, and lost the divisional lead to the Anaheim Ducks on the season’s final day, giving them a match up with the Sharks in the first-round.
LA finished the season at 48-28-6 with 102 points, second place in the Pacific.
The Sharks went 8-0-2 before the All-Star break, cementing themselves in the Pacific Division’s top three. They haven’t lost more than three games in a row since December 12.
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The Sharks completed the 2015-16 season at 46-30-6 with 98 points, third place in the Pacific.
Their Last Playoff Meeting
In 2014, the Sharks held a 3-0 first-round lead on the Kings. Then LA won four straight to beat the Sharks en-route to the organization’s second Stanley Cup. That series sent the Sharks into turmoil. The team stripped Joe Thornton of his captain’s ‘C’ during the summer and the group didn’t make the playoffs last season.
The Kings have ousted the Sharks from the playoffs the last two times they’ve met in the postseason.
Schedule
Thu 4/14, 10:30 pm: SJ @ LAK | CNBC, CBC, TVA Sports
Sat 4/16, 10:30 pm: SJ @ LAK | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports
Mon 4/18, 10:30 pm: LAK @ SJ | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports
Wed 4/20, 10:30pm: LAK @ SJ | USA, CBC, TVA Sports
*Fri 4/22, TBD: SJ @ LAK | TBD
*Sun 4/24, TBD: LAK @ SJ | TBD
*Wed 4/27, TBD: SJ @ LAK | TBD
Offense
The Sharks have more elite offensive talent, but the Kings are more balanced up and down their lineup as far as scoring. San Jose center Joe Thornton was one of the most dominant middle men in the game this year with 82 points in 82 games. Linemate Joe Pavelski blasted 38 goals, and defenseman Brent Burns turned into a weapon from the blueline for the Sharks with 75 points.
The highest scoring King was Anze Kopitar (74 points). Only Kopitar and Jeff Carter scored over 60 points on the season. Still, the Kings had the best 5-on-5 CF% in the NHL this year at 56.4 percent according to War on Ice. The Sharks were at 51.7 percent, but their possession ran through the trio of Thornton, Pavelski and Tomas Hertl who all had CF% Rels of 5.40 or higher.
Forward Patrick Marleau had his worst offensive year since 2001-02 at 48 points in 82 games, but this didn't hamper the Sharks too much. The Sharks averaged 2.89 goals per-game to the Kings’ 2.72, even though they were without forward Logan Couture for almost half the season. He would have scored near 30 if healthy.
Advantage: Sharks
Defense
The Kings finished the season allowing 2.34 goals per-game. This ranked third in the NHL, behind the Anaheim Ducks and Washington Capitals.
The Sharks allowed 2.52 goals per-game, ranking 10th in the league. The Kings have arguably the best match-up defender in the NHL in Drew Doughty, who averaged 28:01of ice-time per-night. Also Kopitar is one of the top defensive centers in the league. Thornton’s defensive game has improved tremendously to the point where many consider him a Selke Trophy possibility this season. Marc-Edouard Vlasic is a solid two-way blueliner, but he and Thornton are not at the level of Doughty and Kopitar defensively.
The Kings are more experienced in goal with Jonathan Quick, a two-time Stanley Cup winner and a lot of LA’s defense goes through him.
San Jose’s Martin Jones is talented and has good size at 6-foot-4, but he’s played just 56 playoff minutes. Goaltender is the most demanding position in the playoffs and Quick knows how to handle the ups and downs of a series.
Advantage: Kings
Special Teams
San Jose scored at a 22.5 percent clip on the power play last season (third in the NHL) while the Kings ranked 15th in the league on the penalty kill at 81.4 percent. The Kings scored at a 20.0 percent on the power play (eighth in the NHL) while the Sharks PK ranked 21st at 80.5 percent.
Both teams really have the same strengths and weaknesses in this department, though with LA’s defense-first mindset, along with their personnel, you’d expect their PK to be better.
The Sharks' first power play unit consists of Burns, Thornton, Marleau, Pavelski and Couture. That's a lot of firepower for special teams and slightly better than Kopitar, Carter, Doughty, Jake Muzzin and Milan Lucic for LA.
Advantage: Sharks
Coaching
Darryl Sutter has won two Stanley Cups and been to another Cup Final. His brand of bruising forechecking mixed with cycling down low is perfect for playoff hockey
In 2012, San Jose's Peter DeBoer made the Stanley Cup Final with the underdog New Jersey Devils. He knows which buttons to push in the postseason, especially when his team isn’t favored.
Advantage: Kings
Five Key Questions
1. Are the Sharks finally over their disappointment from the 2014 playoffs?: This is a perfect series for San Jose to exorcise their demons. They’re considered a group that’s always been good in the regular season, but can’t deal with playoff pressure. The Kings have beat the Sharks in seven games the last two times they’ve played in the playoffs. If the Sharks want to be the best team in the playoffs, they’ll have to beat one of the best postseason cores of the last five years.
2. Will the Kings’ depth on defense be exposed?: Los Angeles is known for their stars, but they’re not as deep as past LA playoff teams. Sutter had the luxury of rolling three defensive pairs on their Cup runs. Defensemen Brayden McNabb and Rob Scuderi make up LA’s softer underbelly on their blueline. If they suffer an injury to their top-four defensemen, they’ll experience a drop-off with Jamie McBain jumping into the lineup. Last year the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup with a virtuoso performance from Duncan Keith after injuries to their blueline. The Kings may need the same from Doughty if their D gets hit with any issues.
3. Can the Kings thrive in a tough series without Justin Wiliams, Jarret Stoll and Mike Richards?: This will be the first playoff series for LA without Mike Richards, Justin Williams and Jarret Stoll since before their run of excellence started in 2012. All three players were considered playoff grinders and took on major on-ice leadership roles. Williams, who won the 2014 Conn Smythe Trophy, was an especially clutch player for the group. They took the pressure off the likes of Doughty, Carter and Kopitar. Now those guys are the more dominant voices in the room. The Kings will also need to count on new voices like Lucic, who won the 2011 Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins, and Vincent Lecavalier, who may be in his final season.
4. Does Jones have enough experience?: Jones will be stepping into a buzz saw as a starter in a series with two teams that have a major rivalry history. The Kings probably know what makes their former backup tick and will likely try to exploit him.
5. Is Brent Burns a weapon or a liability?: Burns is the Sharks’ ‘all-or-nothing’ home run hitter. When he’s on, he’s an offensive weapon from the blueline unlike any other in the playoffs. When he’s off, he struggles in his own end. The playoffs tend to favor players who play sound, airtight defensive hockey, which doesn’t play to Burns’ strengths. But then again Burns has the type of offensive talent that can shift the momentum of a series.
Best Fantasy Options
1. Jeff Carter. Had 25 points in 26 games during LA's previous Stanley Cup run in 2014.
2. Anze Kopitar. Take out a less-than-stellar 2013 and Kopitar has 51 points in 52 postseason games.
3. Joe Thornton. He's San Jose's best offensive player.
Prediction
Kings in 7. These teams are so evenly matched and this series will come down to winning experience. The Kings have that championship swagger going again. That being said, you can expect the best from Thornton who could very well be a Hart Trophy finalist this season. Still, it won't be enough to get the Sharks over the hump.
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