Avalanche sharks. Sharks vs. Avalanche: PHT 2019 Stanley Cup Playoff preview 2019-12-28

NHL: San Jose Sharks

Colorado has emerged as a great Cinderella story, but this is a year where there have been plenty of Cinderella stories to chose from. He also worked as a general assignment reporter covering motorsports, golf and college basketball, and as a backup writer on the A's, Giants and Warriors. Here are three quick takeaways. Struggling Players Sharks: was fine in the regular season after being acquired by the Sharks, but he was quiet in Round 1. He had no goals and three assists in the seven-game series and was held off the scoresheet in Games 6 and 7.

Sharks vs. Avalanche: PHT 2019 Stanley Cup Playoff preview

If they keep playing like this they are going to need their goaltending to be nearly flawless for them to have a chance to maintain their early success. They have two Norris Trophy winners on defense. He started at the organization in 2000 and spent close to eight years covering high school sports. The Sharks were a mid-tier team in that regard in the regular season with an 80. Even in the comforting embrace of that protective defensive shell. The Sharks scored four times during that power-play en route to a 5-4 overtime victory. You could say that this Islanders team is already in postseason form.

NHL: San Jose Sharks

After scoring 50 goals and 100 points a year ago, he is already up 13 goals and 26 points through the first 15 games this season and is well on his way to making a run at both numbers again this year. Rantanen had five goals and nine points in the five-game series while MacKinnon finished with three goals and eight points. They have veterans loaded with playoff experience and plenty of reason to be hungry. Senators forward Logan Brown with an upper-body injury. Regardless, the Sharks deserve credit for rallying. He was solid in Game 1 and stopped an incredible 58 of 59 shots in Game 6. These nine wins in a row tie the second-best mark in franchise history, , the Islanders have a big mountain to climb if they want to tie or exceed the best-ever mark.

Sharks vs. Avalanche: PHT 2019 Stanley Cup Playoff preview

Avalanche: As mentioned above, Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon did everything possible for Colorado in Round 1. The Oilers still need to find some offense outside of him and McDavid, but those two guys are borderline unstoppable right now. X-Factor For Sharks Not to be a broken record about it, but their goaltending. Recent updates provide relatively optimistic news. And all day Smith was up to the task, turning aside 51 shots in what was not only his best performance of the season but probably one of the best games of his career.

NHL: San Jose Sharks

Even with that though, San Jose is far closer to the complete package than Colorado. Back in 1982, the Islanders rattled off 15 consecutive wins. The Sharks might not be able to survive if he endures a similar slump going forward. Louis Blues' Louie at the newly refurbished outdoor rink Roosevelt Park in San Jose, Calif. It ended an incredibly exciting back-and-forth overtime period that saw the two teams exchange prime scoring chances at both ends of the ice.

Sharks vs. Avalanche: PHT 2019 Stanley Cup Playoff preview

Prior to covering the Sharks, Curtis served as the high school sports editor for the East Bay. He also had a chance to lead the Capitals at the start of the 2018 playoffs, but struggled out of the gate, resulting in taking over in Game 2 and leading Washington the rest of the way. Curiously, Lucic was whistled with a roughing double-minor for the play, rather than something more substantial like a major penalty or misconduct. He was a solid netminder for San Jose from 2015-16 through 2017-18, but he was horribly inconsistent in 2018-19 and finished with a 2. Among goaltenders who started in at least 40 games, only on the Western Conference-worst Los Angeles Kings finished with a lower save percentage. It is a testament to how great Smith was for the Oilers that they were able to get two points on what was such an off day for their top duo.

NHL: San Jose Sharks

While it was a dramatic way to end the series, it has also skewed their power-play numbers. Vegas chased Jones out of Games 2 and 4 and beat him six times in Game 3. The Sharks continued to lean on Jones though because Aaron Dell was even worse. The other Western Conference series between the St. Colorado eliminated the Flames in five games thanks to hot goaltending and two very effective scoring lines. Avalanche A hot goaltender can take you far in the playoffs and right now is very hot indeed. Drop him a line at or follow him on Twitter.

NHL: San Jose Sharks

As mentioned in the intro, those goaltending woes extended into Round 1 and are something the Avalanche will need to exploit in Round 2. Radio broadcasts for all Sharks games will be on 98. The duo combined for four of the five markers and MacKinnon got a point on all five power-play goals. The Sharks finished the regular season with the second-best record in the Western Conference and will have home ice advantage for this round and for the conference final, should they make it that far. The Islanders do play their next four games at home, so that might help them at least break that tie with the 1989-90 team that also rattled off nine straight wins.