Their first-round series wasn’t nearly as competitive.The Sharks rode their superior depth, potent power play and stellar goaltending from Martin Jones to the second sweep in franchise history, knocking
out the Ducks with a 2-1 victory on Wednesday night.”We’re playing well going into the second round,” defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic said. ”Everybody is contributing if it’s offensively, blocking shots,
taking a hit. Everybody is doing what they have to for us to win.”After jumping on Anaheim early to win the first two games on the road, the Sharks earned a lopsided win in Game 3 thanks to undisciplined play by the Ducks
and then withstood a strong push to end the series in Game 4.Jones kept Anaheim at bay for long stretches in the second and third period before finally allowing a tying goal to Andrew Cogliano. San Jose then took 1:16
to answer and scored the eventual series-clincher when Vlasic’s point shot
deflected off Tomas Hertl and into the net.”The response goal was huge,” coach Peter DeBoer said. ”We were on our heels. They were pressing. It’s tough to play an elimination game when you get an
opportunity to sweep a really good team like that.”The Sharks were in control for most of the series, outscoring the Ducks 16-4 in their most lopsided series in franchise history Cheap Lamar Jackson Jersey , according to the Elias Sports Bureau.San Jose got as many goals from its fourth line in the series as Anaheim had from its entire team with Marcus Sorensen scoring his third of the series to
give the Sharks a 1-0 lead in the first period of the clincher. Eric Fehr also
had a goal from the fourth line in the series.”Every night they hopped over the boards with energy and grabbed momentum for us, drew penalties,” DeBoer said. ”They were fantastic, but I’ve said from Day 1
we need to be a four-line team if we’re going to have success. And I think the
teams that are moving through are. I watched Vegas a little bit last night.
They’re a four-line team.”The expansion Golden Knights are also the next team in the Sharks’ way. The two will meet in the second round starting sometime next week in just the second
series in the past 22 years featuring teams coming off sweeps in the previous
round.Vegas finished off the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night, part of a record-setting inaugural campaign that included a Pacific Division title in the
regular season.The Sharks will likely need another strong defensive effort next round led by Jones. He was brilliant in the clincher, making several tough saves against
Corey Perry. He also had a shutout in Game 1 and set a San Jose playoff record
with 45 regulation saves in Game 3.He finished the series with a .970 save percentage, helping the Sharks earn their second sweep in franchise history after also doing it in the first round
against Vancouver in 2013.”Goaltending wins this time of the year,” forward Logan Couture said. ”He was fantastic. He made a lot of Grade A saves. He was our best penalty killer. They
had some really good looks. Perry had a lot of chances that Joner made some big
saves on.”By extending their season another round, the Sharks may be able to get star center Joe Thornton back in the lineup. Thornton has been out since injuring his
right knee on Jan. 23. He has resumed skating and took part in warmups
throughout the series but has said he doesn’t want to return until he knows he’s
healthy enough to help the team and make it through what he hopes will be a run
to the Stanley Cup Final.The Sharks have time now to figure that out.”That’s all hypothetical Alexander Alexeyev Capitals Jersey ,” DeBoer said. ”That doesn’t even cross our desk. Those decisions will be something if he is healthy we’ll make then.
Sometimes those things sort themselves out. I’m just really proud of our group,
the resiliency, the composure.”—At the start of his first news conference as the Atlanta Hawks coach, Lloyd Pierce looked down at a row filled with four of his new players.His thoughts immediately turned to his passion: Defense.”If we weren’t doing this press conference right now, I’d probably have these guys doing some defensive drills,” Pierce said Monday. ”That’s who I am.”Pierce, the former Philadelphia 76ers assistant whose agreement to become the Hawks coach was announced Friday , said his first priority will be assembling a
staff. Pierce will be looking for assistants who share his passion for defense
and his proven ability to connect with young players.A young Atlanta roster is about to add much more youth in next month’s NBA draft.The Hawks leaned heavily on such young players as rookie John Collins and second-year forward Taurean Prince this season. More youth is coming in the June
21 NBA draft. The Hawks have three first-round picks and hope to land the No. 1
overall pick in Tuesday’s NBA draft lottery.Pierce worked as an assistant with Cleveland, Golden State and Memphis before his five years with Philadelphia. His role in the 76ers’ rebuilding process was
especially important to the Hawks Riley Sutter Capitals Jersey , who face a similar challenge after posting the worst record in the Eastern Conference this season.Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk said Pierce’s ”experiences in Philadelphia, keeping that positive vibe, that winning environment with what
they went through” helped make him the right fit for the Hawks.Four Hawks players – DeAndre Bembry, Mike Muscala, Kent Bazemore and Isaiah Taylor – sat together during the news conference.Bazemore said other players around the league have sent him messages ”saying we got a good one.””I’m excited,” Bazemore said. ”… Bringing in a defensive-minded guy is important because that’s where championships are won. If we start there, I
believe everything else will fall into place.”Bembry said Pierce’s long record as an assistant, especially with the 76ers, who advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals Jalyn Holmes Color Rush Jersey , earns him immediate credibility.”You instantly have to respect what he’s done,” Bembry said. ”He damn sure earned his first head coaching job.”One of Pierce’s former Philadelphia players, Robert Covington, also attended the news conference. He said he already was in Atlanta while visiting a family
member and so he wanted to show his support for Pierce.”He’s helped me so much in my career, it’s only right that I be here as well,” Covington said.Asked if he has any doubt Pierce is ready to become a head coach, Covington said ”Absolutely not. I’ve seen coach develop and grow. … He definitely is a
great coach.”Schlenk said he was won over in his first of three interviews with Pierce. He said he told assistant GM Jeff Peterson midway through that interview at a
Philadelphia airport hotel that Pierce was their guy.”I just wrote on a little piece of paper and slid it over to Jeff and said `I told you, we’d know,”’ Schlenk said.Pierce joked Monday he wished he had been passed that note.”I’m just trying to figure out how I missed them sliding papers around Logan Morrison Minnesota Twins Jersey ,” Pierce said. ”They were taking notes but I didn’t really see that exchange. I was focused on my presentation
more than anything.”That presentation was on the mark.”He answered every question right,” Schlenk said.A Hawks group that also included majority owner Tony Ressler met with Pierce in Boston on Tuesday, followed by a third interview in Atlanta on Friday – hours
before the team announced an agreement with Pierce.Pierce, 42, fills the position left vacant when the Hawks and former coach Mike Budenholzer mutually agreed to part ways as Budenholzer interviewed for
other jobs, most recently with the Bucks.Schenk again said Monday he and Budenholzer remain on good terms. ”I talked with him a couple days ago,” Schlenk said. ”No hard feelings at all.”—.
