NHL Playoffs 2011: Sharks vs. Kings Series Recap
The San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings both entered the season feeling like they had excellent chances to win the Pacific Division.
As close as the Western Conference was, the Sharks' division title wasn't nearly enough to settle the debate, and after splitting the season series 3-3, the two teams met in a playoff series and played six more times before finally, after 12 intense, high-level meetings, they finished their season series.
The Anze Kopitar-less Kings played an inspired, excellent series, but the Sharks were the more clutch, deeper, mentally tough team, and came up with a win in Game 6 to end the series. But there is a lot to be analyzed.
Sharks' Edge: "Third" Line
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They carried the Sharks down the stretch, and carried that momentum right into the playoffs. Joe Pavelski, Torrey Mitchell and Kyle Wellwood were the best line for the Sharks in this series.
Little Joe has proven that he is a legitimate playoff monster, with an overtime winner in Game 1, an equalizer in Game 3 and a dominant Game 6. Mitchell also had an exceptional series, killing penalties, winning races to loose pucks and adding three assists.
Wellwood was less consistent than Pavs or Torrey (although his plus-six rating led San Jose), but played a gigantic Game 6, scoring the opening goal and making several key plays.
Pavelski also dominated in the faceoff circle, and this line's speed, scoring ability and defensive prowess have made them "that f***ing third line" for all Sharks' opponents.
Kings' Edge: Jonathan Quick
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The man was exceptional in Game 1, utterly dominant in Game 2 and again in Game 5. He was good enough in Game 6, and had no chance in Game 4. His only weak game was Game 3, and even then his defense let him down.
Still, Quick put up a shutout as well as a 51-save on 52-shot performance, stealing two playoff road games and out-playing the reigning cup-winning netminder Antti Niemi in all but one game. A goalie can't truly steal a series like many people like to think, but if the Kings had netted a couple OT goals and thus won this thing, Quick would certainly be the number one reason.
Sharks' X-Factor: Blue-Line Offense
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A big problem for the Sharks all season has been blue-line point production. In the playoffs, depth scoring is huge, and this was a substantial concern coming in.
But Ian White, who had 10 points in 23 games for San Jose this season, came in and provided five assists in the five games he played in. Jason Demers scored two gigantic goals, and his aggressiveness was key to many sustained attacks.
Niclas Wallin and Dan Boyle provided three assists each, and even defensive rocks Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Douglas Murray were big, keeping the puck in and starting the breakout effectively.
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Kings' X-Factor: Forward Depth
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Coming into this series, almost everyone wrote off the Kings due to their relative lack of depth up front. Without Anze Kopitar, this depth was even more in question, and although the top line did miss Anze, the rest of the forwards were shockingly good.
The Kings' second line was probably the best line for either team this series, as Ryan Smyth, Jarret Stoll and Justin Williams wreaked havoc.
Smyth was the Kings' best offensive player, scoring two huge goals (five points) and providing his team with a ton of quality scoring chances. Stoll was dominant in the faceoff circle and added three assists, while Williams scored three times in his heroic early return from rehab.
The third line was also very good, as Kyle Clippard, Brad Richardson and Wayne Simmonds provided an unexpected six goals and 13 points. Even Trevor Lewis, Kevin Wesgarth and Alex Ponikarovski had big games, and a punchless, injured top line was picked up by everyone else.
The Kings Almost Won With...Penalty Killing
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The Sharks had the second best power play in the NHL during the regular season, and with 23 opportunities this series, they were in position to pull a Canucks and beat the Kings with their power play. However, L.A's PK (second-best in the NHL) stepped up in amazing fashion, killing 21 of the 23 Sharks' power plays and killing all three five-on-threes.
Mammoth D-men Willie Mitchell and Rob Scuderi were the biggest reason for this dominance, using their size and reach to win races to loose pucks and win most battles on the boards.
Trevor Lewis and Michael Handzus were active as always and kept San Jose's forwards high enough to let their big guys down low clear the crease, and Quick did the rest.
They Sharks Won It With...Mentality
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The Sharks looked like a different team coming down the stretch this season, but after the first seven periods of this series, the Sharks looked like they were getting out-battled by a team missing their best player. The Kings were the team with heart and grit, the Sharks were the chokers.
But a gigantic second period push saw the Sharks come back from being down 4-0 and tie the game at 5-5. Antero Nittymaki was confident coming off the bench, and the team rallied in front of him. Just as importantly, they capitalized, winning in overtime and stealing back home-ice.
In Game 4, the Kings had the chance to take back the momentum, and the Sharks responded by crushing them.
After losing Game 5, the Sharks went back to L.A. and outplayed them on the road once again. Even though the gritty Kings came back three times in Game 6, and had a five-minute major at the end of the third and beginning of OT, San Jose didn't panic, didn't choke and didn't quit.
They stuck with it, won their third road game, won their third OT game, and proved how tough they really are.
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