The first round of the NHL Playoffs in the Western Conference features a battle of California as the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks meet up for Game 1 on Thursday night. While the Kings are absolutely certain on their starting roster, the Sharks have some doubt as to who will be inside the net for the first game which could become a crucial storyline in the series.
The Sharks have no clear-cut goalie as both Antti Niemi and Alex Stalock have a shot of starting in the goal for the first time. Niemi started in 64 games during the regular season, but Stalock is the one with the hot hand, putting up better numbers as the season came to a close. Head coach Todd McLellan has yet to publically commit to a starter, leading to many questions as to who the go-to guy is. Niemi has struggled with a 3.11 goals-against average while Stalock has a 1.87 average.
The Kings are thankful they do not have that issue. Jonathan Quick will be back in the net to try and lead Los Angeles on another successful playoff run. The goalie leads the league in wins, shutouts, goals against and saves and has for the past two seasons. He especially exceled last year against the Sharks as the Kings knocked them out of the second round of playoffs.
A key in this series will be home ice advantage. In the history of the Kings and Sharks, the home team has won 16 of the last 17 games. That includes the seven games last year in the playoffs. Considering these two teams do not like each other, home ice could be critical. This series has resulted in multiple suspensions for excessive hits.
The Kings will rely heavily on Marian Gaborik who has provided an offensive spark since beign acquired at the deadline. He has five goals and 11 assists in the past 19 games which helped Los Angeles move up from 27th in the league in scoring to 14th.
