SAN JOSE — Sharks forward Evander Kane allowed himself a moment to revel in the playoff atmosphere at SAP Center in the middle of Game 3 against the Anaheim Ducks.
At the 14:28 mark of the second period, Sharks captain Joe Pavelski and Ducks forward Nick Ritchie got mixed up in a scrum after a stoppage in play near goalie Martin Jones. Ritchie threw a punch at Pavelski and pretty soon a handful of players’ gloves were on the ice.
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After Ritchie and Sharks defenseman Dylan DeMelo were escorted to the penalty box, Kane began to pick up some of the gloves. He heard the noise from the sold-out crowd, and exhorted the fans to get even louder by waving his arms in the air.
Needless to say, they responded.
“Just emotions taking over,” Kane said. “Kind of saw the crowd getting excited about the scrum and thought I’d try to get them a little more excited. It seemed to work.”
Every Sharks forward had a point in the Game 3 rout, which put the Ducks in 3-0 hole in the best-of-seven series, with Game 4 on Wednesday night. Kane and linemates Pavelski and Joonas Donskoi finished with a combined seven points, continuing a series in which — for the most part — they’ve been too much for the Ducks’ defense to handle.
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Through three games, Pavelski is tied for the team lead with five points, Kane has four and Donskoi has three. Kane had the game-winner in Game 1, off an assist from Pavelski, and Donskoi had the game-winner Monday, off a nice assist from Kane on a 2-on-1 after a Ducks turnover.
Their play in the series has been reminiscent of the way they performed together last month, right after Kane was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres and before Donskoi suffered a shoulder injury on March 14.
In that seven-game stretch, Donskoi had six points, Kane had six and Pavelski 10. The Sharks went 5-2.
“I think last game was our best game as a line throughout the series,” Kane said. “We had a little bit more zone time, had some more offensive opportunities, some odd-man rushes. So that was nice to see. It was good for us to get on the board and feel good about ourselves.
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Live playoff updates: Sharks vs. Ducks, Game 4 on Wednesday “We have a lot more to give and hopefully get better as the playoffs go on.”
Clearly the line will need to be at its best in a potential second round matchup against the Pacific Division champion Vegas Golden Knights, which suffocated the offense of the Los Angeles Kings in a four-game sweep of that series, allowing just three goals.
Not that anyone is looking that far ahead just yet.
“Enough’s happened in this room where I think we understand the challenges that still lie ahead of us. It’s a good team over there,” Pavelski said. “I’m sure the Knights are doing the same thing. L.A.’s a good team. For us, it’s still about here and it’s still about playing a hard game. We’re going to have to earn this next game, for sure.”
SAN JOSE — 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan traded in a scarlet and gold shirt for a teal jersey before the start of Game 4 between the Sharks and Anaheim Ducks at SAP Center.
Shanahan was latest local celebrity figure to open the door to the Sharks’ locker room prior to the start of Wednesday’s game, showing he’s fully on board with the local NHL team during the Stanley Cup playoffs this season.
Although the noise level inside the arena was a near-deafening roar just before the game, Shanahan could be seen saying to the in-house camera, “The series ends tonight.”
It was well on its way. The Sharks scored the game’s opening goal 5:43 into the first period, collecting the puck near the Ducks crease and firing the puck into Anaheim’s net with goalie John Gibson out of position. They led 1-0 after one period.
“The series ends tonight!” – #49ers coach Kyle Shanahan as he opens the doors for #SJSharks ahead of Game 4 vs #Ducks in #StanleyCupPlayoffs2018 pic.twitter.com/OgQoWGVLQU — Cam Inman (@CamInman) April 19, 2018
The tradition of a local celebrity opening the door to the Sharks’ locker room started with the 2016 playoffs, with such figures as Jerry Rice and Rickey Henderson previously doing the honors. Former world champion boxer and Oakland native Andre Ward opened the door prior to Game 3, which the Sharks won to take a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
If the Sharks won Wednesday, they would go on to play the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round. Before the start of the playoffs, the Raiders tweeted out a message of support to the Golden Knights, not the Sharks, irking some fans of team teal. The Raiders will be moving to Las Vegas in two years.
After an 8-1 shellacking of the Anaheim Ducks in Game 3, it’s tough to look ahead to Game 4, but here we go. Here’s five things to look out for.
Can the Sharks continue to punish the Ducks?
I’m not talking about hits; that’s the Ducks territory and I think it’s safe say that the current game plan is working perfectly. What I’m talking about is where it counts — on the scoreboard. The Ducks dished out hit after dirty hit in Game 3 and the Sharks dished out goal after power play goal. It was a humiliating loss for the Ducks and the best punishment possible for a team that was playing over the edge.
If the Sharks continue to make the Ducks pay on the man-advantage, they should skate away with a Game 4 win.
The brick wall that is Martin Jones
This one isn’t in the form of a question only because there’s no question about Martin Jones’ play of late. The guy has a .970 save percentage going into Game 4 and a 1.00 goals against average. Aside from a shutout, it’s tough to imagine him doing any better than he is in this series.
Jones will be a big key in Game 4. I expect the Ducks to put on a push early. If Jones can come up with those big saves, it will frustrate the Ducks and lead to undisciplined penalties.
Can the Sharks take a lead into the second period?
The Ducks are playing like a fragile team that could go off the rails at any moment. The leadership—Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry—seem to be leading the charge in that regard. The pair have shown a lack of discipline in this series and it’s been allowed to pervade throughout the lineup. When that happens, the Ducks fall apart. They make passes that don’t connect and slash and crosscheck the Sharks at inopportune moments.
If the Sharks take a 2-0 lead or greater into the second period, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Ducks rollover and let San Jose have the series. It’s often said, “there’s too much pride in that locker room” when talking about a team that’s down in a playoff series, but I get the sense the pride has seeped out of the Ducks locker room. They certainly weren’t playing with pride in Game 3.
Can the Sharks “team effort” continue in Game 4?
Eight goals by eight different players and all 12 forwards with at least a point in Game 3, that’s a pretty impressive stat. The reason the Sharks are winning this series is that they’re doing it as a team. I know it’s the classic sound bite during this time of year, but it doesn’t make it any less true. If all four lines play like they have been throughout this series, it will be too much for the Ducks to handle.
Can the Sharks complete the sweep?
On its face, this sounds like a stupid question, because of course, you always want to sweep a team in the playoffs. However, the Vegas Golden Knights just finished their sweep of the Los Angeles Kings last night. That means tonight the Knights will be sitting at home with ice on their bumps and bruises, elevating their tired legs, and watching the Ducks and Sharks dish out bumps and bruises of their own. A sweep means the boys in teal are just as rested as the Golden Knights, instead of flying to Anaheim to grind this out again in two days.
If you watched the Kings-Knights series, then you know the Knights played fast and they played hard. In order to beat a team like that, the Sharks need to start out on even ground, which means the shorter they can make this first round series, the better.
