Analysis: Golden Knights outdo themselves again with Game 1 blowout

Marc-Andre Fleury posts 33 saves for third shutout in five playoff games

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Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore, center, celebrates after scoring against the San Jose Sharks during the second period of Game 1 of an NHL hockey second-round playoff series, Thursday, April 26, 2018, in Las Vegas.

Thu, Apr 26, 2018 (9:48 p.m.)

Golden Knights crush Sharks

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) celebrates with left wing James Neal after the Golden Knights defeated the San Jose Sharks 7-0 in Game 1 of an NHL hockey second-round playoff series Thursday, April 26, 2018, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher) Launch slideshow »

From the moment the matchup was set last week through Thursday’s pregame festivities where a shark tank projected on the T-Mobile Arena ice, “Jaws” references abounded for the Vegas Golden Knights’ Western Conference semifinal series with the San Jose Sharks.

After the Golden Knights’ 7-0 harpooning of the Sharks in Game 1, it’s hard not to think “Finding Nemo” would have made for a more appropriate cultural touchstone. The Sharks looked like clownfish — harmless, deluged and swimming well beyond their own depth.

And, for the sellout crowd of 18,444 fans, the game felt far more like a fun-loving family affair than any type of slow-burning horror.

Vegas vanquished any version of suspense in the opening six minutes, attacking San Jose relentlessly en route to three goals. The only thing that could have provided any scare was the sound of the crowd, which somehow shrieked a bit louder with each goal in the early going.

If Cody Eakin’s goal off a deflection at 4:31 of the first period brought a wind wave of sound, then Erik Haula’s successful wrister 26 seconds later bordered on tsunami levels. The reaction to Jonathan Marchessault’s first playoff goal at 6:02 was certainly seismic, and by the time Alex Tuch converted on a power play, San Jose was completely capsized.

Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, as has come to be expected, was an impenetrable levee. The Sharks took 33 shots on goal — several of them on power plays, including a brief 5-on-3 opportunity — and Fleury played each of them perfectly.

Fleury famously won three Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but none of those teams at any point in the playoffs prevailed in five straight games. The Golden Knights have now pulled it off in their first-ever attempt.

There’s no overstating how impressive they’ve been. Supposedly at a stylistic disadvantage against the Kings in the first round, the Golden Knights smothered them with their speed and skating anyway.

That wasn’t supposed to work against the Sharks, which used a similar approach to suffocate the Ducks in a first-round sweep even more lopsided than the Golden Knights’ dispatching of the Kings. San Jose outscored Anaheim by 12 goals — as opposed to Vegas’ four-goal advantage over Los Angeles — and spun its opponent silly by picking off passes and getting behind the defense.

But the Sharks appeared slow next to the Golden Knights, which glided past them time and again. San Jose goalie Martin Jones gave up only four goals all series against the Ducks.

He gave up five goals in 23 minutes before getting pulled versus the Golden Knights.

The Sharks can’t blame their sluggishness on the eight-day layoff between rounds — not when the Golden Knights had an extra day off. Reason dictates that San Jose will still make this a competitive series.

Almost all analytical measures had Vegas vs. San Jose somewhere close to a 50/50 proposition. The Sharks played too strongly once they solidified late in the season to sink with such little struggle.

Maybe one iconic “Jaws” quote still pertains when it comes to Game 1 — The Golden Knights, “caught a shark, not the shark,” on Thursday night. A Herculean effort may still await to reel in three more wins.

But no one should doubt the Golden Knights’ ability to take this as far as possible, not anymore. Not with yet another emphatic answer in the face of a daunting challenge.

There’s no primordial beast that’s going to overwhelm the Golden Knights. If anything, they’re the primordial beast themselves, sending the rest of the NHL in search of its equivalent of a bigger boat.

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.

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