It's entirely possible that these San Jose Sharks are going to turn into the same choke artists that we've come to know and love over the years. They've got a different look this postseason to the, and we're wondering aloud if they really have what it takes to win the Stanley Cup this season.
Of course, beating the Los Angeles Kings is never easy this time of year, and just because the Sharks took Game 1 at the Staples Center doesn't mean they're home free.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
All of the games in this series are going to feature relatively close spreads, but you might not see a bigger margin than in this game. The Kings really have to have this one, and they're going to be favored by even more than the -143 they went off the board at on Thursday night.
GOALIE REPORT
The statistics weren't all that pretty for either Martin Jones or Jonathan Quick, but it's hard to argue about the way that either man played. Jones got a bit unlucky with a couple goals that took weird deflections which snuck behind him, and Quick made some fantastic saves and allowed four really strong goals which the Sharks had to earn.
Jones finished 19-of-22 in saves on the night, including shocking Toffoli on two straight chances in the middle of the third which proved to be the difference.
Quick was 19-of-23, but he deserved a better fate for sure.
LIVE BETTING
The key in the first game of this series was responding. The Kings scored the first goal of the game, but less than four minutes later, the Sharks struck back. San Jose took a 2-1 lead in the second, and LA managed a response just 40 seconds later. Later in the period, the Kings scored a shorthanded goal which could've taken all the air out of the Sharks. Instead, they not only responded with a goal 30 seconds later, but they started the third period with Joe Pavelski's second goal of the game at 0:17.
That goal proved to be the winner, as Los Angeles didn't have any answers from there.
QUICK PICK
The Kings have some problems they have to overcome. They're playing against a really good team, and it doesn't sound like they're going to have Alec Martinez in this one after he blocked a shot in the second period of Game 1 and didn't return.
The Sharks had the better chances in Game 1 and won almost all of the big faceoffs, particularly in the defending zone. Sure, they made the mistake by giving up the shorthanded goal, but they also were fantastic defensively down the stretch.
We're going to speak out of both sides of our backside in this game. We think the Sharks have the better value on their side, and we think they're going to ultimately win this series. That said, we think Quick will stand on his head on this night to level up the proceedings at a game apiece.
As good as Game 1 was, we'd be shocked if this series doesn't go the distance.
NHL Odds: Kings 2, Sharks 1
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