Vegas Golden Knights: Three keys to spoiling Sharks’ home opener
It is showdown time again for the Vegas Golden Knights who will be looking to inflict more misery on the San Jose Sharks tonight.
After beating the Sharks 4-1 on opening night at T-Mobile Arena, the Vegas Golden Knights play the second game of the home-and-home double-header at SAP Center later – 7:30 p.m. PT.
And the Knights will be hoping to secure another crucial divisional victory, thus improving to 2-0-0 and making it a hugely impressive start to the 2019-20 NHL regular season.
However, the Sharks will be baying for blood after losing to their bitter rivals on opening night and they will have the energy of the home crowd behind them, coupled with the return of stud defenseman Erik Karlsson to the lineup.
The Knights are going to have to be disciplined tonight while they will also have to make do without defenseman Nate Schmidt, who is week-to-week with a lower body injury and he joins Alex Tuch and Cody Eakin on the IR.
Tonight will be no easy task for the Vegas Golden Knights and we’ve picked out three keys to winning the game and improving to 2-0-0.
1. Staying cool in the heat of battle
As already mentioned, tonight is the home opener for the San Jose Sharks and there is sure to be an electric atmosphere at “The Shark Tank.”
So, as a result, the Golden Knights are going to have to adapt to their surroundings and tune out the raucous noise from the first drop of the puck and just focus on their game.
That is easier said than done, of course, but the Knights will have to avoid distractions if they are to head back home with another W in the bag.
And, another important factor in tonight’s game will be to remain disciplined at all times, and that could be the biggest key for both teams.
We know that these two franchises won’t be sending Christmas cards to each other and there was some chippiness between the teams in the season opener, but Vegas can’t afford to have players in the penalty box for things like roughing.
If the Vegas Golden Knights can shutdown from the outside noise, keep calm and cool heads and go about their business, then they will have a great chance to get the job done and improve to 2-0-0.
2. Control play from the start
This links to what was said in the previous slide, but the Vegas Golden Knights are going to need to be ready to go from the first drop of the puck tonight.
San Jose will be eager to impress in their home opener and the energy from the crowd will translate to the ice and send a spark surging through the Sharks.
That could result in an early onslaught from the hosts so the Knights will need to be ready to shut that down quickly and neutralize the Sharks.
We all saw what happened when Vegas struck early on opening night and replicating that later will suck the energy out of the home crowd, and it will also serve as a mental blow to the Sharks which will then play into the hands of the Knights.
If Vegas can get their top lines rolling early and inflict some quick damage onto their opposition, that will swing the momentum firmly into their favor and set the tone for the rest of the night.
In rivalry games like this it is all about the fine margins and the Vegas Golden Knights are going to have to get the small details spot on in the early stages of this contest in order to give themselves the best possible chance of escaping with a win.
3. Special Teams
Executing Special Teams is critical to success in any game, but it will be of the utmost importance in a rivalry game that will be hotly contested from the first drop of the puck.
And the Golden Knights enjoyed a good start to the year in terms of special teams after dominating on both the power play and the penalty kill in the season opener against the Sharks on Wednesday.
Mark Stone scored a power play goal early in the first period, while Reilly Smith recorded a shorthanded effort as San Jose went 0/5 on the man advantage.
The combination of Smith and William Karlsson on the penalty kill is lethal due to their speed, hustle, skill and killer instinct, while William Carrier also impressed on the second PK unit with his speed and ability to heap on the pressure on the forecheck standing out.
Those units will have to be on their game again tonight if the Sharks get an opportunity on the power play, while Vegas will also need to be clinical on the man advantage too.
Next. Golden Knights at Sharks: Info you need. dark
They boast a plethora of weapons with which to play with on the power play, but they will need to tweak their second unit somewhat with Nate Schmidt out because of injury.
With Erik Karlsson back in the lineup, the San Jose Sharks are going to be better defensively and, as a result, special teams will be critical to the Vegas Golden Knights’ hopes of winning tonight.