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.
Tonight on the Golf Channel, the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks convened at the SAP Center to finish off their playoff series. The Sharks even brought along San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan as their celebrity door opener for their second home game this round. That Bay Area unification must’ve had some strong energy to quell their southern California rival.
The Sharks started the game off strong and dominated in the offensive zone through the early stages of the first period. Indeed, Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture both got good looks at John Gibson in the first five minutes of the game. The first goal of the night came from Marcus Sorensen, who scored just six minutes into the game (his third of the series), assisted by Brent Burns and Melker Karlsson.
Fifteen minutes into the first, Joonas Donskoi was tripped by Hampus Lindholm and the Sharks went on their first power play of the night. They did not score. This would become a theme, as both teams found themselves unable to convert on the power play tonight.
Shots were relatively even through the first 20 minutes, with the Ducks firing off 10 shots and the Sharks shooting 10 in the direction of the net. The Sharks headed back to the locker room up 1-0.
The Sharks forwards went into the second period looking a little lethargic.
Just over seven minutes into the second period, Joe Pavelski emulated the Ducks’ leadership group and was called for a tripping minor against Marcus Pettersson. The Ducks failed to score on this power play.
Around a minute after the Ducks’ power play expired, Nick Ritchie was called for slashing on Kevin Labanc. While Burns had a couple of shot attempts on this man advantage, the Sharks ultimately not convert.
Jones made an impressive set of saves against Francois Beauchemin and Corey Perry just after the Sharks power play expired. Almost immediately after, Rikard Rakell and Timo Meier collided, and Timo was called for high-sticking. The Sharks mustered some good defensive play over the ensuing penalty kill, countering some of the Ducks physicality with, well, this:
Getzlaf and The Melk Man have a face to face meeting pic.twitter.com/7vCcKll1zq — Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) April 19, 2018
With a minute left in the period, Eric Fehr was called for hooking against Josh Manson. The Sharks again went on the penalty kill for the remainder of the middle third, and the first minute of the final frame.
The Ducks had actually out-shot the Sharks this period. Through the middle third of the game, the Ducks fired off 14 shots, while the Sharks fired a scant 6.
The early part of this period was surprisingly dramatic. The Sharks started on the penalty kill off of Eric Fehr’s hooking penalty at the close of the second period. Thirty seconds into the third, Rickard Rakell appeared to score on the power play.
Pete DeBoer promptly challenged the goal for the play being offside. Upon a swift video review, Ryan Kesler was found to be offside, and the Ducks goal was overturned. The Sharks returned to the penalty kill for the remaining 30 seconds.
Almost immediately after the Ducks’ power play expired, Brandon Montour was called for high sticking Evander Kane. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: the Sharks failed to score on their ensuing power play opportunity.
Rinse, repeat. Literally. Thirty seconds after the Sharks power play expired, they found themselves on the penalty kill for the fourth time that evening off a high sticking call on Melker Karlsson. The Sharks successfully killed off the penalty.
Eight minutes into the third, Andrew Cogliano scored a goal and his first and only point of the 2018 postseason, assisted by Ryan Kesler and Jakob Silfverberg.
Tomas Hertl promptly put the Sharks back on top, scoring off a feed from Marc-Edouard Vlasic.
Giving the #SJSharks the lead is fun always, Hertl makes it 2-1
https://t.co/G2Yue5iAJx pic.twitter.com/cNdJQO5g2h — Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) April 19, 2018
John Gibson was pulled with two minutes remaining in the game and in the Ducks postseason campaign. The Sharks did not score on the empty net, but did have a couple shots go wide.
The Ducks only managed seven shots over the final period, while the Sharks fired off nine, with both teams finding the back of the net once. The Sharks ended the game and the series with the second sweep in franchise history.
Numbers
Let’s take a quick look at some data visualization illustrating both teams’ shots tonight, shall we?
The Sharks visibly dominated with shot attempts through the first 20 minutes of play. The little Chewbacca face six minutes in is the Sorensen goal (marked as such because of a Brent Burns assist). Score-adjusted corsi remains relatively equal over the last forty minutes of the game, with the Ducks putting a few shots on net towards the end of the second and third periods.
Here’s an even strength heat map showing shot attempts throughout the night. While both Sharks goals came from right within the point, the majority of shots actually originated from within the left faceoff circle, or just behind the right faceoff circle. The Ducks drove straight to the point tonight, and only successfully converted one shot.
Notes
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.
