SAN JOSE, Calif. — Whether it is John Carlson, Kris Letang, Duncan Keith or Drew Doughty, you have to have an elite defenseman to win a Stanley Cup these days.
The Sharks, who are without a Cup in their 27 years of existence, are doubling down on that premise this season after they acquired Erik Karlsson from the Senators in mid-September. In addition to Karlsson, a two-time Norris Trophy winner, their blue line also boasts Brent Burns, who won the award two years ago.
After starting the season 12-10-5, bottoming out with a 6-1 loss in Karlsson's homecoming game in Ottawa, the Sharks have followed a similar path as the Penguins by turning their season around with a December surge. They've gone 14-3-2 since then, including six straight wins heading into tonight's game against the Penguins at SAP Center. And, not coincidentally, that's been spearheaded by Burns and Karlsson, who rank first and fifth, respectively, in scoring among all NHL defensemen.
Mike Sullivan says that the best way to minimize their impact is to play keep-away.
"Our team is at our best when we dictate the terms," he said. "If we don't have the puck, we pursue the puck and force teams to play under pressure. And if we have the puck, we've got to make those guys expend energy defending us. If we do that, we're going to take some of their strengths away from them, and that's their offensive game. No doubt, it will be a really big challenge."
This, of course, will be the first time that the Penguins have seen Karlsson in teal and black. But former Senators teammate Derick Brassard says Karlsson is starting to play like he did in red and black.
"It's a little weird to see him in that uniform, but he's been playing outstanding the last month or so," said Brassard. "We'll try to be in his face and limit his time and space out there. He's a pretty good skater. I think that's one of the best teams in the league on the other side."
Not only do the Sharks have the third-most points in the NHL, they have the league's seventh-ranked power play at 24.6 percent with Burns and Karlsson usually playing the entire two minutes. They also have NHL's fifth-ranked penalty kill at 84.2. The Penguins and Sharks are the only teams to rank in the top seven in both categories.
And like the Sharks, the Penguins also have an elite defenseman of their own in Letang, who is seventh in scoring among defensemen.
In his 13th season, Letang is garnering serious Norris consideration. Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said that before injury and health issues in recent seasons, he considered Letang "the elite defenseman in the league or right up there."
Obviously, among Letang's competition for the Norris this year will be Karlsson and Burns.
"Kris is up there with those guys," Brassard was telling me. "What makes Kris really special is that he does it all. Not only does he run your power play, he's on the penalty-kill and plays against the top lines. That's why I think he's in that consideration with all those other guys. He's an elite defenseman in the league and I'm sure he's going to try and measure himself to those guys tonight."
Obviously, Sullivan would concur with Brassard's sentiment but he says Letang's focus has to be on the task at hand, not on some postseason award or a matchup in January.
"Some of the conversations I've had with him is 'Don't worry about all that stuff and just play the game,'" Sullivan said. "That's when he's at his best, when he just keeps his game efficient. He's just a huge part of our team. It's hard for us to win, quite honestly, when he's not at his best. There's no secret that he's put a real good stretch of hockey together and that's helped us win some games."
THE COMBINATIONS
• The Penguins’ expected lines/pairings tonight:
Guentzel-Crosby-Rust
Pearson-Malkin-Simon
Sheahan-Brassard-Kessel
Grant-Cullen-Wilson
Dumoulin-Letang
Maatta-Riikola
Pettersson-Johnson
• And for the Sharks:
Sorensen-Thornton-Pavelski
Radil-Couture-Meier
Kane-Hertl-Donskoi
Karlsson-Goodrow-Labanc
Dillon-Karlsson
Simek-Burns
Ryan-Heed
THE INJURIES
• Justin Schultz, defenseman, is now week to week after suffering a fractured leg on Oct. 13. He skated in a red non-contact jersey as Tuesday's skate was winding down.
• Patric Hornqvist, right winger, is out indefinitely with a concussion. He didn’t accompany the team on the trip.
• Zach Aston-Reese, right winger, is out indefinitely with a broken left hand, but he did skate Tuesday in sweats.
THE SESSION
• Matt Murray will put his nine-game winning streak on the line tonight against the Sharks, who are averaging 3.55 goals per game, fifth-best in the NHL.
I asked Sullivan if Murray is as dialed in as he's seen him over the last two seasons: "He's been dialed in a lot. It's hard to win Stanley Cups if you're not. He's done a lot for us. He's been as locked in as I've seen him."
More tellingly, you can see that Murray is looser around the dressing room, even on game days. The goalie doesn't speak after morning skates but he was having a good time apologizing to a San Jose reporter after declining an interview on Tuesday.
• Brassard has as many points this season as defensive defenseman Marcus Pettersson (13 each). Consider that for a moment. Well, it's hard to score if you're not shooting and Brassard has two or fewer shots in 16 of the last 17 games. Asked for an assessment of his own performance, he pointed out that the Penguins have won 10 of the last 12.
• Having played the first six years of his career with the Kings in the Western Conference, Tanner Pearson knows exactly what to expect from the Sharks.
"A heavier game," he said. "Those guys like to hit over there. We have to expect one of those games."
• The SAP Center will always hold a special place in the heart of at least nine of the Penguins who will be in uniform tonight. It's where they won they won the Penguins' fourth Cup on June 12, 2016.
"I think it's something that's going to be with you for the rest of your life," said Olli Maatta.
How did they manage to celebrate in such a small visitors' dressing room: "It doesn't matter where you celebrate."
• After a full practice a day earlier in San Jose, the Penguins held an optional skate. Among those not taking the ice were Sidney Crosby, Phil Kessel, Brian Dumoulin and Letang.
THE OTHER SIDE
• Joe Thornton will appear in his 1,000th game tonight ... with the Sharks. At the time he was traded from Boston to San Jose on Nov. 30, 2005, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1997 draft had already played seven-plus seasons and 532 games for the Bruins.
Thornton's last coach with the Bruins was Sullivan, who coached Boston in 2003-04 and 2005-06. Sullivan isn't surprised to see Thornton still going strong and compared him to Matt Cullen, the Penguins' 42-year-old center.
"I have so much admiration for him and Cully and how they approach the game," Sullivan said. "They take care of themselves off the ice. I think it's a real indication of their love of the game. To play that many years and that many games, there are a lot of road blocks along the way and there's a lot of reasons why players could say 'I've had enough' and these guys continue to play. And I think the root of that is their passion to play the game and their love for hockey."
The 39-year-old Thornton is 17th all-time in games played, while Cullen is 24th at 1,479.
• Pearson's former Kings teammate Martin Jones will get the start in goal for San Jose.
• The Sharks held an optional skate at their practice facility, a few miles from the SAP Center. Afterward, backup goalie Aaron Dell conversed with the few fans who attended for at least 10 minutes at the entrance to the ice.
• DeBoer is not surprised to see the Penguins starting to find their game after a tough start to this season.
"I think when you've had the deep runs they've had, I think it's natural that you have lulls in the regular season," he said. "But you're seeing that they've started to pick it up and find another level. Their forward group is dangerous. Any team with Sidney Crosby and (Evgeni) Malkin 1-2 is going to give you fits."
THE SCHEDULE
Face-off is scheduled for 10:08 p.m. (ET) at SAP Center. The Penguins are off tomorrow. They will practice Thursday in Glendale, Ariz., in preparation for their game with the Coyotes the next night.
THE COVERAGE
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