My Two Cents: Key For The San Jose Sharks To Beating The L.A. Kings
Focus Must Be On Playing the Better Hockey
Apr 3, 2014; San Jose, CA, USA; San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan (second from right) instructs in a huddle against the Los Angeles Kings during the third period at SAP Center at San Jose. The Sharks defeated the Kings 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Going into this series, there is no love loss between the two teams.
The most recent incident occurred on December 19th of this season when Kings’ captain Dustin Brown took out Tomas Hertl with a direct knee-on-knee hit that left Hertl injured and out for most of the season. This injury robbed Hertl from likely being a candidate for the Calder Trophy and denied him of a potentially great rookie season. This event also may have prevented the Sharks from putting up a few more wins up which could have meant winning the Pacific Division. Brown was given a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct. However, Brown received no disciplinary action from the NHL whatsoever.
In the next meeting, Tommy Wingels challenged Brown to drop the gloves, but Brown refused. After the game as the Kings left the ice following a 1-0 win, Brown allegedly pointed towards his ring finger while the Sharks left the ice, while Shark Tank crowd was letting him hear it. Some may gather from this that at some point Brown will have to be dealt with and that is true.
What the Sharks cannot forget however is that the LA Kings are far more than just Brown. All truth be told, if the Sharks want to win this series the key to winning, it won’t be getting payback on just one player. The best revenge for the Sharks is to win this series and just focus on doing that, and nothing else. The best revenge is victory. Challenging Brown to a fight is temporary. Even if he accepts, the fight is temporary, and the time spent in the penalty box is temporary for both clubs.
If you want to beat the Los Angeles Kings, the way to do it is the most obvious way. You must beat them on the ice and do enough to win four out of seven possible games. The Sharks must play the better hockey, and focus on the hockey aspect of it only. Anything else is just a distraction.
If you are the LA Kings, you want the Sharks to be distracted by the Brown-Hertl incident, you want the Sharks to think about the house of horrors known as the Staples Center. If the Sharks do that, they will already be beaten. Team Teal cannot allow this to enter their mind and it’s up to the coaching staff and the players individually and as a team to understand the best revenge is to win the game and ultimately the series, period.