Sharks vs. Kings, Game 5: By the numbers
A look at the numbers behind the Sharks' 3-0 loss to Los Angeles in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
- The lone bright spot, apart from Joe Thornton turning in another solid performance for "Logan Couture's team," was the play of Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Justin Braun who have made a very compelling case for themselves throughout these playoffs as the Sharks' regular shutdown pair heading into next season.
- San Jose's bottom six has been a possession sinkhole for the past three games and it's probably worth at least considering an overhaul for Game 6. I tend to think it wouldn't hurt to at least experiment with moving Joe Pavelski back down to the third line and Gomez to the fourth, even if that means shuffling Tommy Wingels back onto the Couture line where he enjoyed some brief success earlier in the year.
- This is either impressive or disappointing but last night was the first time the Sharks have been outchanced at even-strength in the 2013 playoffs./
Head-to-head scoring chances
(Click to enlarge)
- Anze Kopitar's dismantling of the Matt Irwin/Dan Boyle pairing was the centerpiece of this loss for the Sharks. Todd McLellan was largely successful in keeping those two away from the Kopitar line in Games 3 and 4 and he'll thankfully get a chance to do so again in Game 6.
- Dustin Penner is more often the butt of a joke than a player who commands any praise from around the league but he did some terrific work in the neutral zone in helping the Richards line accomplish what they'd failed at throughout Games 3 and 4: getting the better of Joe Thornton at even-strength./
For more information on what these numbers mean, head here for an in-depth explanation of Corsi and here for more details on scoring chances.