Great moments are born from great opportunity, and that's what you have here tonight, boys. That's what you've earned here, tonight. One game.- Herb Brooks
The narrative for tonight's Game 7 between the LA Kings and the San Jose Sharks has already been set. It's the 3-0 comeback, the history maker, the ultimate game you want to play in as a player.
We've got the overarching storylines of goaltending troubles, high scoring games, controversial goals, and injuries, but none of that matters now as it comes down to one game to decide the season for both the Sharks and the Kings.
The hype is pretty awesome right now from fans of both sides of the battle. One is a little bit more nervous energy than the other, but nonetheless it's Game 7!
The Kings will be the late show on a night of three back-to-back-to-back Game 7's, and if you aren't worn out from watching the Flyers-Rangers and Avs-Wild drama...stay up. This one is going to be a doozie. If you are the Kings, there are a couples of things you can do bury this game and become one of just four teams in history to come back from the brink.
Keys to the Game
1. Bury Them Early
The Kings have jumped out to early leads in 4 of the 6 games in the series. Game two was the only game in which they did not hold the early lead. Otherwise, the Kings have controlled games early on. Tonight that will be even more important to do. The Sharks and Kings both are going to try and play within the moment, however, any sort of early deficit or ill-fortune is going to potentially take the Sharks out of the moment. When the outside factors start creeping in like that, nervousness, frustration, and doubt could become as big a weapon to the Kings as any powerplay or scoring opportunity.
Also, with Niemi starting, he's had a game off to contemplate his struggles. A friendly reminder from the Kings would potentially put he and his teammates in a world of doubt. Niemi was chased in Games 4 and 5 after less than stellar play from both he and the Sharks. McClellan going back to the former cup winner is an interesting move considering Stalock played very well in Game 6 despite losing 4-0. We shall see what kind of effect this has on his mental state.
2. Continue to shut down Thornton and Couture
Thornton and Couture have been invisible since Game 3. The Sharks offense has only been able to muster four goals in three games since the two premier centermen for the Sharks have gone MIA. While Thornton isn't touted for his clutch play in big moments (which I think is a somewhat unfair evaluation) he is still one of the premier centers in the league and is a threat every time he steps on the ice. The Kings will also be dealing with a depleted back end with Matt Greene stepping in for an injured Willie Mitchell. With last change there is no question that McClellan is going to try and exploit that. Everyone from 1st line to 4th and 1st pair to 3rd, has to dig in when it comes to shutting down the Sharks top two centermen. The Kings aren't going to get the favorable matchups due to San Jose having last change, but nonetheless whoever is out there has to come up.
If the Kings can get the game down to manageable scenarios, like the Kopitar line being out against the Sheppard/Pavelski line, then things have gone the right way. Line matching can be a double edged sword. If your top players don't come up big then it leaves you exposed in other matchups on the ice. Example, if you try to go Thornton to Richards and fail, that leaves Kopitar and his line against one of your 2nd, 3rd, or dare I say the 4th line. It seems like a small detail but it could be pretty significant.
3. Stay out of the box!
This was nearly the killer in Game 6. The Kings had an unbelievable amount of pressure and played a fantastic first 20 minutes of hockey. The 2nd period started in much the same fashion but then the team got caught in a rut of three consecutive penalties. Two of which were stick infractions, which is always a no-no. While the Sharks didn't score on either the 5-on-3 or the ensuing 5-on-4, they did shortly thereafter. The extended minutes on the teams top penalty killers mixed up the lines due to fatigue, and got the Kings back on their heels. The game instantly became much closer, much more tense, and for a while the Sharks became the better team. That little bit of opportunity and life spurred on by the undisciplined play could have been incredibly detrimental to the Kings, and arguably would have been the turning point of the entire game had they lost. That kind of thing cannot happen in Game 7. Penalties will no doubt happen over the course of this game, but keep it to a minimum. No 5-on-3, no back-to-backs, nothing that can give the Sharks an extended bit of momentum.
The San Jose powerplay was 20th in the league over the course of the regular season and have gone 4-for-26 here in the playoffs, but even then, if you continue to poke the bear eventually it's going to bite you.
4. Someone be the hero
This isn't really a key, but it's always something that happens. Last year it was Justin Williams, then Jonathan Quick, etc. etc. There will be a hero tonight for one team or the other. Someone will have to rise up and be that hero.
Any guesses on who? Will it be Gaborik? Justin "Mr. Clutch" Williams again? Anze Kopitar? Dwight King???
We'll just have to wait and see. That's what's great about Game 7. You never know what player is going to step up and etch their name into team history.
Should be a great one to take in folks. Enjoy the game tonight, and get at me on twitter!
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