5 Keys: Sharks at Golden Knights, Game 1

SHARKS at GOLDEN KNIGHTS
10 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, TVAS, CBC
LAS VEGAS --The Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks will meet for the first time in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in Game 1 of the Western Conference Second Round at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday.

The Golden Knights and Sharks each are coming off four-game sweeps in the first round; Vegas earned its first playoff series victory and sweep against the Los Angeles Kings, and San Jose defeated the Anaheim Ducks.
RELATED: [Golden Knights vs. Sharks playoff preview | Complete Golden Knights vs. Sharks series coverage]
This is the eighth time in NHL history a second-round matchup features teams that swept their prior best-of-7 series, and the first time since 2011, when the Boston Bruins defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games in the Eastern Conference Final.
Here are 5 keys for Game 1:

1. Strong start

The Golden Knights and Sharks have gone eight and seven days respectively since they last played a game. No team remaining in the playoffs will play fewer than seven days between games.
Rust could be a factor in the early going of this series, with the team that finds its rhythm quicker could set the tone; Vegas and San Jose will play every other day.
"You have to let the game come to you," Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant said. "For me, it feels like we haven't played in three months. I just know both teams are excited to play."

2. Dueling goaltenders

Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury had an 0.65 goals-against average and .977 save percentage against the Kings, besting Los Angeles goaltender Jonathan Quick's 1.55 GAA and .947 save percentage.
The second round will feature another strong goaltending matchup, against San Jose's Martin Jones, who allowed four goals with a .970 save percentage in the Sharks' sweep against the Ducks.

3. Vegas line dance

Golden Knights forward David Perron returned to the lineup in Game 3 of the first round, his first action since March 26 because of an undisclosed injury, and played on the third line with Cody Eakin and Ryan Carpenter, rather than with James Neal and Erik Haula on the second line, giving way to rookie Alex Tuch.
Perron skated with Neal and Haula at morning skate Thursday, with Tuch moving back to the third line, indicating a possible move.
"I told [Gallant] before Game 3, 'If you want to keep the same guys out there, I'll understand any decision you make,'" Perron said. "I think the guys in here are working in the same direction, and they want to win."

4. Shark attack

San Jose outscored Anaheim 16-4 in the first round, with the bulk of the scoring coming from San Jose's top line of Joe Pavelski with five points (one goal, four assists), Evander Kane with four (three goals, one assist) and Joonas Donskoi with three (one goal, two assists).
Since acquiring Kane in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres on Feb. 26, the Sharks are 16-7, including the playoffs.
"Something will have to give," Pavelski said. "We'll have to be ready. They're a good team. We'll see what happens."

5. Going fourth

Vegas' ability to roll four lines against the Kings proved its depth, and San Jose has that luxury as well. Marcus Sorensen, left wing on the Sharks fourth line, scored three goals in the Anaheim series.
With a lot of attention on the top six for both teams, it could be a matter of which fourth line makes the most impact.

Sharks projected lineup

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: Joakim Ryan, Joel Ward, Jannik Hansen, Dylan Gambrell, Barclay Goodrow, Antoine Bibeau
Injured:Joe Thornton (knee)

Golden Knights projected lineup

Jonathan Marchessault -- William Karlsson -- Reilly Smith
David Perron -- Erik Haula -- James Neal
Alex Tuch -- Cody Eakin -- Ryan Carpenter
William Carrier -- Pierre-Edouard Bellemare -- Tomas Nosek
Brayden McNabb -- Nate Schmidt
Shea Theodore -- Deryk Engelland
Jon Merrill -- Colin Miller
Marc-Andre Fleury
Malcolm Subban
Scratched: Tomas Tatar, Ryan Reaves, Oscar Lindberg, Luca Sbisa, Brad Hunt
Injured:None

Status report

San Jose will keep its same lineup for Game 1, meaning Thornton will not play. … Sbisa is cleared to play, but is expected to be a healthy scratch for Vegas.