5 Keys: Sharks at Ducks, Game 2

SHARKS at DUCKS
10:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN360, TVAS, PRIME, NBCSCA
San Jose leads best-of-7 series 1-0
ANAHEIM --The San Jose Sharks will try to improve on their past Game 2 performances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs when they play the Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference First Round at Honda Center on Saturday.

The Sharks are 16-20 all time in the second game of a series, including 7-13 on the road.
RELATED: [Thornton uncertain for Sharks in Game 2 | Complete Ducks vs. Sharks series coverage]
They won Game 1 at the Edmonton Oilers in the first round last season but lost 2-0 in Game 2, and the Oilers won the series in six games.
Here are 5 keys for Game 2:

1. Limiting Kane

San Jose forward Evander Kane scored two goals in
a 3-0 win in Game 1
, his first NHL playoff game in nine seasons. He scored his first goal 10 seconds into a 5-on-3 power play in the second period and his second on a 3-on-1 rush that opened up during an ill-timed Anaheim line change.
Ducks defenseman Josh Manson said they don't need to make any adjustments for Kane.
"You look at his two goals, and I think a lot of it was a result of things that we did, things that we gave up," Manson said.

2. Stay out of penalty trouble

The Ducks committed seven minor penalties in Game 1, including two slashes 16 seconds apart in the second period that led to Kane's first goal. Coach Randy Carlyle said the Ducks need to match the speed of the Sharks to avoid penalties.
"We have to move our feet at a higher rate," he said. "We did not skate and move quite anywhere near where we've been accustomed to doing."

3. Willing to sacrifice

The Sharks were No. 1 in the NHL in blocked shots during the regular season (1,381), and they blocked 20 in Game 1, compared to 13 for the Ducks. San Jose had a three-goal lead in the third period but continued to get in shooting lanes and had a 9-4 edge in blocked shots.
"Usually, that's a telltale sign of how engaged they were versus how engaged we were," Carlyle said.

4. Better start for Anaheim

The Ducks historically start slow, whether it's a season, a game or a period.
They've allowed the first goal in six of the past eight games dating to the regular season but are 6-2-0 in that span. They've lost Game 1 at home three straight times and four of the past five, but they regrouped each time to make it a competitive series.
Anaheim went down 2-0 to the Nashville Predators in the first round two years ago before forcing a seventh game. They lost the first two games at home to the Oilers in the second round last year but won the series in seven games.
"We know they're going to be better," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. "We're going to have to be better too."

5. Eyes on Jones

San Jose goaltender Martin Jones made 25 saves in Game 1 for his fifth NHL playoff shutout. Only Marc-Andre Fleury of the Vegas Golden Knights (11) and Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings (nine) have more postseason shutouts among goalies currently in the playoffs.
Jones has started 13 of the 14 games against Anaheim since he was traded to San Jose from the Boston Bruins on June 30, 2015. He's 6-6-1 in those games with a 1.60 goals-against average and .939 save percentage.
"He's been really dialed in for a couple months now," DeBoer said.

Sharks projected lineups

Evander Kane -- Joe Pavelski -- Joonas Donskoi
Tomas Hertl -- Logan Couture -- Mikkel Boedker
Timo Meier -- Chris Tierney -- Kevin Labanc
Marcus Sorensen -- Eric Fehr -- Melker Karlsson
Paul Martin -- Brent Burns
Marc-Edouard Vlasic -- Justin Braun
Brenden Dillon -- Dylan DeMelo
Martin Jones
Aaron Dell
Scratched:Joel Ward, Barclay Goodrow, Jannik Hansen, Dylan Gambrell, Antoine Bibeau
Injured: Joe Thornton (knee), Joakim Ryan (upper body)

Ducks projected lineup

Rickard Rakell -- Ryan Getzlaf -- Corey Perry
Andrew Cogliano -- Ryan Kesler -- Jakob Silfverberg
Nick Ritchie -- Adam Henrique -- Ondrej Kase
Antoine Vermette -- Derek Grant -- JT Brown
Josh Manson -- Hampus Lindholm
Francois Beauchemin -- Brandon Montour
Marcus Pettersson -- Kevin Bieksa
John Gibson
Ryan Miller
Scratched:Jason Chimera, Korbinian Holzer, Chris Kelly, Troy Terry, Andy Welinski
Injured:Patrick Eaves (illness), Cam Fowler (shoulder)

Status report

Bieksa will return after having surgery March 16 to remove scar tissue from his left hand. He had eight assists in 59 games this season, and his minus-13 rating was the worst on the Ducks. Bieksa, who has appeared in 85 NHL playoff games, replaces Welinski, who made his NHL postseason debut in Game 1.