San Jose Sharks Round 2 Reconnaissance of the Colorado Avalanche

The San Jose Sharks and the Colorado Avalanche are two teams that took very  different paths to get to to this point. Nevertheless they find themselves kicking off their second round series Friday night at the Tank.

The San Jose Sharks have advanced into the second round of Stanley Cup Playoffs in back to back years. This time they face-off against the Colorado Avalanche in what will undoubtedly be a high scoring affair between the two clubs.

These two franchises took very different paths to get to the 2nd round. The San Jose Sharks needed to scratch and crawl their way through a slug fest against the Vegas Golden Knights that ended with Game 7 in OT. Conversely the Colorado Avalanche easily dispatched of the Western Conference Champions the Calgary Flames in only 5 contests

That all adds up to Team Teal only getting 2 full days to recover after their marathon effort against Vegas. While the Avalanche get nearly an entire week of rest and reconnaissance before they have to board a plane and head to San Jose. That time off could prove beneficial or detrimental to this inexperienced Avs squad. It all depends whether they bring their A game on April 26th at the SAP Center.

The Colorado Avalanche’s roster is clicking at just the right time and with one upset under their belt already they shouldn’t be intimidated by anyone. This sense of confidence should worry the Sharks and with talent like this on their roster Team Teal is in for another grueling series.

Forwards

Over the course of the regular season the Colorado Avalanche depended on the play of one line to generate a bulk of their offense. With benches shrinking due to the demands of the Stanley Cup Playoffs Coach Jared Bednar took this same strategy into their first round match-up against the Calgary Flames and in paid off beautifully.

Nathan MacKinnon saw his average TOI ice spike from 22:05 in the regular season to 23:47 in the first round. Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen have also seen similar dramatic shifts in their playing time. Expect the San Jose Sharks to see a heavy dosage of these skaters during this series and don’t be surprised if they spend a lot of time in the offensive zone.

These 3 were the leading point producers for the Avs in the regular season and it’s been no different during the Playoffs. Rantanen leads the way with 9 points and 5 goals, while MacKinnon isn’t far behind with 8 points and a team leading 26 shots on goal.

This duo has transformed into arguably the most potent scoring combination in the NHL. MacKinnons power and speed are unmatched in the current NHL and if he gets to full speed he’s a one man entry machine. If he’s coming at your netminder on a breakaway you are almost better off taking a penalty to slow down the 23-year-old. But often times the kid from Halifax gets the better of you when you play his game.

His partner in crime Mikko Rantanen has quickly become one of the most prolific scorers in the NHL. His size, speed, and soft hands have been on display for his entire career, but this year he took his game to another level. He tallied 31 goals and ended the season with 87 total points. His finishing ability pairs extremely well with MacKinnon’s style of play.  MacKinnon attracts most of the attention when he takes the puck to open areas of the ice, which allows Rantanen to make his way into the dangerous areas and get set up for easy scoring chances.

The San Jose Sharks are going to have a difficult assignment planning for that top line, but they also shouldn’t overlook some of the depth forwards on this Colorado roster. Young skaters like Alexander Kerfoot, J.T. Compher and Tyson Jost have made great strides this year and would love to make a name for themselves in this league with a strong playoff performance.

There are also a few veterans with a decent amount of Stanley Cup Playoff experience like Colin Wilson, Carl Soderberg, and Matt Nieto. That experience is underrated, especially for a team with a young core like the Avs. Having some cool heads on the bench when things tighten up is crucial to keep things from unraveling in the face of Playoff adversity.

The mix of high-end talent, young blossoming skaters, and guys with playoff experience is a surprisingly good mix of forwards when you take a closer look. Team Teal will have their hands full containing the firepower of Colorado’s forward group.

Blueliners

The Colorado Avalanche aren’t as top heavy defensively compared to their forward group, but still have some effective skaters on every pairing. Overall there isn’t one glaring name that can really be labeled as a liability for the Avs. If utilized properly this team has all the components that make up a solid playoff defensive core.

Tyson Barrie is an integral part of the Colorado Avalanches success on offense. Along with the top line, Barrie got to witness a bulk of the goals scored by the Avs this season. Whenever Colorado found themselves in the offensive zone it was almost a guarantee that Barrie would be out running point. He led all Colorado blueliners with 5 points (all assists) and 20 shots on goal in 5 games against the Calgary Flames.

His smooth skating and deceivingly strong shooting ability blend well with the Avs unrelenting top line of forwards. Barrie’s skill allows him to pinch down along the boards and get involved with the play in near the slot area or behind the net. His shot has the uncanny ability of getting to dangerous areas of the ice which translates into scoring chances for his teammates.

On the flip side of things if Colorado is looking for a crucial defensive stop and zone exit they turn to their more defensively sound parings consisting of Ian Cole or Erik Johnson. Usually playing with separate line mates at 5v5, the duo was called upon to team up to help limit stars Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan to only 2 points in 5 games in their first round match-up with the Flames.

Ian Cole gets the bulk of the tough defensive assignments, starting in the defensive zone 34.11% of the time, per Corsica.Hockey. He will be most likely be the man tasked with attempting to limit Tomas Hertl’s impact on series. Cole has had a sneakily impressive season for the Avs. He boasted a positive CF%, FF%, and SF% at 5v5, but suffered mightily from lackluster goaltending that plagued the team for most of the year.

The Avalanche elder statesmen Erik Johnson has been in the league for 11 seasons and has only seen two playoff series. His steady play and veteran presence have led the Avalanche for 9 seasons now but has only been in 12 postseason games. The 2006 1st overall pick is usually tasked with guiding younger players through unfamiliar circumstances. However he finds himself in the same position with this being his first ever appearance in the 2nd round of the playoffs.

The rest of this defensive core is rounded out by a few interesting components. Samuel Girard who will return to the lineup in the 2nd round has some serious offensive talent and complements Erik Johnson’s stay at home style of play. Anticipate the two of them to reunite considering they spent a bulk of the regular season together.

Nikita Zadorov the 24-year-old Russian brings size, physicality, and a checking presence to a team that lacks grit at times. The Sharks are going to be careful and not let Zadorov replicate the Ryan Reeves strategy that hurt the Team Teal in the first round.

Patrick Nemeth provides some variety on the left side and is useful on the penalty kill. He’s filled in well in the absences of some key contributors for the Avalanche.

Last but not least there’s Cale Makar the late season addition from the NCAA. Makar stunned on lookers around the league by netting his first shot on goal of his career. The Avalanche are getting nearly a full week of practice time ahead of this series, perhaps that could benefit the 20-year-old and get him better acclimated with the new system and teammates. Watch out for Maker to be a potential X-factor  in the second round. He has tons of high end skate speed and skill in the neutral and offensive zones.

Bednar has a good problem to have with 7 defenseman who are capable of contributing on a Stanley Cup roster. The third year coach in the NHL loves to utilize match-ups and relies heavily on specific defenseman to play in their preferred zone of play. It will be interesting to see who which members of the San Jose Sharks he feels can do the most damage to his club.