Round #1 Western Conference: San Jose Sharks (C2) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (C3)

[pilldoc]

 

All discussion between the Sharks and lasts years cinderella's team, the Knights, should go here.

[pilldoc]

I'm going to go with Knights in 6 games.  MAF did not have the down year I was expecting.  Overall, I just believe the Knights are the better team.  Should be a good series.

[ruxpin]

3 hours ago, pilldoc said:

I'm going to go with Knights in 6 games.  MAF did not have the down year I was expecting.  Overall, I just believe the Knights are the better team.  Should be a good series.

I went same direction, except I even went 5.for Vegas. 

It's largely gut feeling, but I don't think San Jose's collection of individuals gets it done in the playoffs. 

 

And Fleury vs. Jones, I'll go Fleury every time. 

[yave1964]

I went against the Knights in every series last season blowing up my brackets throughout the Western conference. 

 

 This year I am doing it again. The Knights have been a bad team for most of 2019 even trading for Stone. IK a lot of folk think that when MAF comes back it will be enough but the Sharks are getting Karlsson back which should fix a lot of what has ailed them.

 

 Sharks in six. Of course that means the Knights are going to win this one again.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

What I feel may the most ENTERTAINING series in the West!

 

Two teams with legit rosters to make another run at the Finals....yet BOTH, have some flaws in them that could cause them issues in even getting past a round or two....

Both feature pretty deep lineups, I give the edge to SJ in terms of raw talent, but give the Knights an edge in overall line efficiency and usability in any situation.

The Sharks defense is more attack (and hit you), while the Vegas defense, with the exception of maybe Nate Schmidt, is more defense oriented (and THEY will hit you too!).

 

Goaltending is EASILY in favor of the Knights...…….unless MAF can't go and Subban is in there, in which case, the Vegas defense may find themselves under siege trying to protect their backup netminder.

Both teams have obviously come up short of a Cup, and are still hungry to get it done.
I can see some high scoring games, I can see some tense low scoring ones....and I can see some REAL physical stuff going on...maybe even borderline, hateful stuff, out there which will add much fuel to the games these teams will play.

And these two will wear the holy H3## out of each other too.

That said, I will take the Sharks in a grueling, yet very fan friendly series, 7-game set winning thriller.
I think the overall raw talent on SJ will nudge out the workmanlike Knights, and despite MAF being leagues more reliable than Jones, Jones will make stops when he absolutely needs them...which of course, will irritate the HECK out of people who are counting on him giving up the usual back breaking or soft goal he does once in a while. 

But I feel, no matter which wins, people may feel if a bounce here, or break there, goes the other team's way, THEY could have walked away with the win.

Man...will the winner here have anything left physically or emotionally to deal with the Flames in Round 2????

[J0e Th0rnton]

Game 1 was the Burns/Karlsson show and vegas had no answer

 

My god watching those two playing at 100% is tantalizing.

 

Hertl was amazing too. meier hitting that guy along the boards while searching for the loose puck epitomizes Meier.

 

And Jones looked like playoff Jones again.

 

WIN IT FOR JUMBO!!!!!

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Shamed to say it, but I fell asleep on my husband's sizeable chest while watching this.

Not because I found it "boring", but because I was just dead tired.
I actually was looking forward to this series (I did say it seemed like the most entertaining West series), and I still think it goes 7, but kudos to the Sharks for getting their home win, as they should have, and kudos to the Burns n Karlsson Band for doing what the team expected of them when they traded for #65.

 

I must say I was a bit surprised by the score though.
Knights, stats wise, seemed to play pretty even with the Sharks...difference was, SJ obviously took advantage of their chances more times than the Knights did.

Will try to do better and be rested for Game 2 and actually stay up to watch the thing! 
I really do want to watch as much of this series as possible, as I believe either team can make a legit case for going back to the Western Finals.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Hmm...here is something interesting... from the Las Vegas Review Journal
https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/golden-knights-nhl/reports-russian-nikita-gusev-could-join-golden-knights-for-playoffs-1638685/

 

Seems former Tampa Bay Lightning draftee and prospect, Nikita Gusev is trying to get an early release from his KHL contract to join the Vegas Golden Knights for the playoffs!

Didn't know NHL teams could do that once the playoffs started...sign players from other leagues and make them part of their permanent rosters.

At any rate, Gusev, a smallish but very skilled forward, never did come over from the KHL to North America after he was drafted by Tampa Bay in 2012.
Not sure at what point the Bolts cut ties with him, but seems he has done very well, now at the age of 26, playing in Russia.

Here is a quick snapshot of his primary stats while playing in the K:

 

Also, some stats of what he has done on the World stage:

Tournaments

Year	Tournament	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	+/-
2012	World Junior U-20 Championships	Russia U-20	7	3	6	9	0	5
2018	Olympics	OAR (Russia)	6	4	8	12	4	7

[Podein25]

1 hour ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

Hmm...here is something interesting... from the Las Vegas Review Journal
https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/golden-knights-nhl/reports-russian-nikita-gusev-could-join-golden-knights-for-playoffs-1638685/

 

Seems former Tampa Bay Lightning draftee and prospect, Nikita Gusev is trying to get an early release from his KHL contract to join the Vegas Golden Knights for the playoffs!

Didn't know NHL teams could do that once the playoffs started...sign players from other leagues and make them part of their permanent rosters.

At any rate, Gusev, a smallish but very skilled forward, never did come over from the KHL to North America after he was drafted by Tampa Bay in 2012.
Not sure at what point the Bolts cut ties with him, but seems he has done very well, now at the age of 26, playing in Russia.

Here is a quick snapshot of his primary stats while playing in the K:

 

Also, some stats of what he has done on the World stage:

Tournaments

Year	Tournament	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	+/-
2012	World Junior U-20 Championships	Russia U-20	7	3	6	9	0	5
2018	Olympics	OAR (Russia)	6	4	8	12	4	7

 

From what i saw of the game last night they need some more speed/skill to keep up with the Sharks. A guy like Gusev could help, and maybe even Cody Glass (6th overall in 2017), who I believe is with the team following Portland's ouster from the WHL playoffs.

[Podein25]

Gusev expected to join VGK this weekend per TSN's Dreger

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

52 minutes ago, Podein25 said:

Gusev expected to join VGK this weekend per TSN's Dreger

 

Interesting take by some of the analysts on NHL tonight where they asked the question: Where would he play?

The panel seemed to feel the Vegas top six shouldn't be messed with, but that a bottom six role would not maximize Gusev's abilities.
Something's gotta give (or someone's gonna have to move from the top 6) if Gusev is being put on the team though....

[Podein25]

42 minutes ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

 

Interesting take by some of the analysts on NHL tonight where they asked the question: Where would he play?

The panel seemed to feel the Vegas top six shouldn't be messed with, but that a bottom six role would not maximize Gusev's abilities.
Something's gotta give (or someone's gonna have to move from the top 6) if Gusev is being put on the team though....

 

Yeah, hard to say. But they need a spark, including the top 6 who looked pedestrian to me in Game 1. I expect a better performance tonight. 

[J0e Th0rnton]

More of this human cheat code duo tonight again please!

 

[Jimtown guy]

What a crazy period that was 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Well, it is official.... Nikita Gusev, formerly of the KHL, got out of his contract early (it was supposed to expire at the end of the month), and he will be joining the Vegas Golden Knights in the middle of the their series with the Sharks.

From NHL.com
https://www.nhl.com/goldenknights/news/addition-of-gusev-gives-vgk-options/c-306752078

 

I guess the question now is, as was asked by a panel of analysts on NHL Tonight, "Where do you play Gusev?"

He was talented by KHL standards....but will that necessarily translate over to the NHL?
Most definitely be going into the NHL pool at the deep end, having played his entire professional career in Europe.

He hasn't had ample time to play with his soon to be Knights teammates, how will the communication between he and they go?
Not only might there be a literal language barrier, but ZERO familiarity with any linemates he may have.

He was a top six, nay, top LINE KHL player?
But is he good enough (we don't have the answers to the first two questions yet!) to displace any of the current Vegas top six players?
Certainly Gusev wouldn't do as well playing in more limited minutes in a bottom six role...……….UNLESS, Gerard Gallant does what Jon Cooper does in Tampa Bay and even out the TOI amongst his four lines a bit more.

At any rate, Gusev IS on his way to Vegas, though not sure how soon he will appear in a game, nor how much of an impact he will have right away.

[pilldoc]

Reinforcements are arriving for the Vegas courteous of Russia via the KHL.  

 

http://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/26523892/vegas-adds-khl-top-scorer-gusev-playoffs

 

Top KHL scorer Nikita Gusev will join the Knights shortly after his KHL team was eliminated from the playoffs.

 

"Vegas announced it signed KHL leading scorer Nikita Gusev to one-year entry level contract on Sunday. Gusev, a Moscow native, scored a league-high 82 points (17 goals, 65 assists) for SKA St. Petersburg this season, which was eliminated in the conference finals of the Gagarin Cup playoffs last week. Gusev was the KHL's MVP in 2018.

 

The 26-year-old Gusev was previously on the Golden Knights' reserve list and is eligible to play in the postseason. He needed to be released from his KHL contract early in order to sign in the NHL.

 

Gusev helped the Olympic Athletes of Russia to a gold medal in the 2018 Olympics, tallying 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in six games. He was recently named the training camp roster for Team Russia for May's World Championships in Slovakia, though he is unlikely to play in that tournament now. Gusev played nine seasons in the KHL, accumulating 332 points (119 goals, 213 assists) in 391 games.

 

Vegas acquired Gusev's rights from the Tampa Bay Lightning during the 2017 expansion draft."

 

I'm curious where he will play for the Knights.  Does this give Vegas a slight push now since they are currently tied with the Sharks at 1-1.

[pilldoc]

1 hour ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

Well, it is official.... Nikita Gusev, formerly of the KHL, got out of his contract early (it was supposed to expire at the end of the month), and he will be joining the Vegas Golden Knights in the middle of the their series with the Sharks.

From NHL.com
https://www.nhl.com/goldenknights/news/addition-of-gusev-gives-vgk-options/c-306752078

 

I guess the question now is, as was asked by a panel of analysts on NHL Tonight, "Where do you play Gusev?"

He was talented by KHL standards....but will that necessarily translate over to the NHL?
Most definitely be going into the NHL pool at the deep end, having played his entire professional career in Europe.

He hasn't had ample time to play with his soon to be Knights teammates, how will the communication between he and they go?
Not only might there be a literal language barrier, but ZERO familiarity with any linemates he may have.

He was a top six, nay, top LINE KHL player?
But is he good enough (we don't have the answers to the first two questions yet!) to displace any of the current Vegas top six players?
Certainly Gusev wouldn't do as well playing in more limited minutes in a bottom six role...……….UNLESS, Gerard Gallant does what Jon Cooper does in Tampa Bay and even out the TOI amongst his four lines a bit more.

At any rate, Gusev IS on his way to Vegas, though not sure how soon he will appear in a game, nor how much of an impact he will have right away.

 

Sorry @TropicalFruitGirl26 ... I just saw your post after I posted the same thing.  Sorry was not trying to steal your thunder .....

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

10 minutes ago, pilldoc said:

 

Sorry @TropicalFruitGirl26 ... I just saw your post after I posted the same thing.  Sorry was not trying to steal your thunder .....

 

Hahaha...no worries, my ego is petite sized, and thus doesn't bruise as easily as some others' might 

 

Besides...better for TWO of us to report on the same thing rather than no one paying attention at all! 

[Stephen Koithan]

Knights in 6 games. They are looking good the past 3 games. 

[hf101]

6 hours ago, Stephen Koithan said:

Knights in 6 games. They are looking good the past 3 games. 

Yes, they are.  They are looking like one of the strongest teams in the West.

 

[OccamsRazor]

Yep funny to see the top teams struggling with all the firepower they have too.

 

Preds, Flames, Leafs and Sharks all could be heading home soon if they don't figure some things out soon.

 

That is why sometimes you just got to get in and see what happens.

[Brewin Flames]

Yep...

 

Ask me if I thought the Pens and Bolts would be gone in the first round, and i'd have laughed, ask me if I thought the flames would be down 3-1...ha ha ha.

 

This is why playoff hock hock is amazing.

 

Unless,  of course you are a bruins and flames fan, such as I...good thing my heart is strong.

[OccamsRazor]

I had Sharks in 7 but it could be over today....something is up with the Sharks core players.

 

They lose again it might be time to blow it up....

[Puck_Pun]

Hertl scores a SHG in 2nd Overtime to force a seventh game, which is an amazing comeback from being down 3 games to 1. Jones played excellently with some great saves, which was refreshing. *really* looking forward to game 7, should be a fun one

[Brewin Flames]

As much as i'd like to see Vegas win game 7, seems like the sharks are about to pull off a huge comeback.