Blades of Teal
Fansided

San Jose Sharks Look To Utilize Speed Edge In Game Two

By Patrick Leiva

Apr 14, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Jose Sharks center Patrick Marleau (12) and Los Angeles Kings defenseman Alec Martinez (27) chase down the puck the first period of the game one of the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 14, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Jose Sharks center Patrick Marleau (12) and Los Angeles Kings defenseman Alec Martinez (27) chase down the puck the first period of the game one of the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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San Jose used their speed to cause problems in Game One, and will look to do more of the same in Game Two tonight.

The San Jose Sharks are a team that wants to utilize their speed to get the puck up the ice and in on the forecheck. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Kings are a team that wants to be physical and bully their opponents down low.

In Game One, it was the Sharks who were able to gain the upper hand by using their team speed to cause havoc for the Kings defense.

After an initial gut-punch from L.A. in the first five minutes, San Jose found their legs and controlled a majority of the action from there on out.

One of the big reasons for this was the Sharks ability to take advantage of their speed and get in behind the Kings defense.

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The one glaring matchup that appears to be an advantage for team teal is the battle of the third lines where Patrick Marleau, Matt Nieto and Melker Karlsson skated circles around the Kings third line centered by Vincent Lecavalier.

It was evident in the early going that Lecavalier’s line would have trouble keeping up with Marleau and his linemates as Marleau breezed around Alec Martinez and centered a perfect pass to Karlsson who was stoned by Jonathan Quick.

Even though they couldn’t convert, it provided a pretty strong indication that the Sharks’ speed would be a handful for the Kings.

Another veteran who appeared to struggle with the foot speed of San Jose was defenseman Rob Scuderi. San Jose made a concerted effort to target Scuderi with their dump ins as the 37-year-old blue liner had trouble dealing with pucks in behind him. Look for that to continue as the series progresses, especially with the Kings very thin on the back end as Martinez won’t suit up in Game Two.

All-in-all, when the Sharks are able to build up their speed through the neutral zone, it makes their forecheck attack very dangerous. San Jose came at L.A. in waves in Game One forcing 20 giveaways from the best possession team in the entire league.

Next: Sharks Newcomers Put Forth Big Game One Performance

Heading into tonight’s contest, you can bet the Kings will look to tighten things up and make life difficult for the Sharks to gather momentum through the middle of the ice.

San Jose needs to weather the storm early and then utilize their advantage in the speed department to set up their offensive attack. If they can do that like they did in Game One, the Sharks should be in a great position to take both games in L.A.

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