And game 1 is in the books. Sharks were able to overcome bad luck and some dubious officiating to get the win.
The Sharks scored seven goals: four behind Quick and two own goals; plus the officials missed crediting the Sharks for a goal. (So the final score could have been 7-1?)
NHL playoff rookies Donskoi, Karlsson and Tierney played quite well.
Kings did not play as well as they could, so even with the Sharks up 1-0 in the series, all that means is there’s three more wins needed, and they get harder to get the further you go.
Kings lost Martinez (missed 1+ periods). And Gaborik didn’t play.
There’s at least another three tough games in this series.
#SJSharks owner Hasso Plattner and @Burnzie88 celebrate with some postgame 'za. pic.twitter.com/xuaEplvTDR
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) April 15, 2016
Links:
- Sportsnet: Thornton is not a playoff choker
- AP: Ironmen ready to carry heavy load (top 10 in ice time) — including Brent Burns
- CBC: Western Conference previews
- Spector’s Hockey: playoff picks (what he’d like to see)
- USA Today: Reason to root for each playoff team
- NBC: Why your team won’t win Cup (bulletin board material)
- Sharks: series preview
- Sharks: Sharks have high hopes in playoffs
- Sharks: DeBoer gets team back on track
- Sharks: Chance to write own story
- Sharks: Keys for game 1
- SJMN: Series preview
- SJMN: Sharks hope Ward shines in playoffs
- SJMN: Add Jones to list of goalies who played first NHL playoff game for Sharks
- SJMN: Jones posed for playoff game 1
- SJMN: Hertl healthy and confident heading into game 1
- Gackle: Donskoi, Karlsson and Tierney eager for playoff hockey
- Gackle: Doughty – happy to face Sharks
- Chronicle: Sharks emphasis need for Kings to play defense
- LAKI pregame podcast (including Randy Hahn)
- LBPT: Sutter attributes Kings-Sharks rivalry intensity to Gretzky
- LAT: Key match ups
- LAT: Kings have to get past Thornton (and his beard)
- AP: Game 1 preview
- Postmedia: Kings know Sharks will be a tough out
- Postmedia: Hockey is the luckiest North American sport
- ESPN: W2W4: Sharks-Kings game 1
- Puck Daddy: Sharks gearing up with “aging core”
- Sportsnet: Officials “missed” Sharks goal
- AP recap
- NBC recap
- SportsXchange recap
- ESPN recap
- CBS recap
- Long Beach Press Telegram: recap
- LAT recap
- LAT: Kings carry bad habits into playoffs
- LAT: Keys to loss
- SJMN recap
- SJMN: Sharks-Kings answered to goals (with one of their own)