5 Keys: Sharks at Golden Knights, Game 2

SHARKS at GOLDEN KNIGHTS
8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, SN, TVAS
Vegas leads best-of-7 series 1-0
LAS VEGAS -- The Vegas Golden Knights will look to take a 2-0 lead in Game 2 of the Western Conference Second Round against the San Jose Sharks at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday.

The Golden Knights, who won 7-0 in Game 1, can become the first NHL team to win its first six Stanley Cup Playoff games. Vegas can also become the second team in North American professional sports to win its first six playoff games, joining the 1949 Minneapolis Lakers from the NBA.
RELATED: [Sharks expect to rebound in Game 2 without Kane | Complete Golden Knights vs. Sharks series coverage]
The Sharks have not lost the first two games of a series since the 2016 Stanley Cup Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Here are 5 keys to Game 2:

1. Kane suspended

Sharks forward Evander Kane will not play
after he was suspended one game
for cross-checking Golden Knights forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare in Game 1.
San Jose is 15-6-1 since acquiring Kane in a trade from the Buffalo Sabres on Feb. 26.
Kane has four points (three goals, one assist) in five playoff games. His three goals are tied with Marcus Sorensen and Tomas Hertl for most in the playoffs for the Sharks.

2. Bellemare's status

Bellemare, who did not practice Friday,
is a game-time decision
.
Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant did not say if Bellemare will be in the lineup, or who would replace him among Tomas Tatar, Oscar Lindberg and Ryan Reaves.
If Bellemare doesn't play, his absence will also leave a void on the penalty kill. Either Reilly Smith or Cody Eakin will take his place on the first unit.

3. Vegas' top line

After a quiet first round against the Los Angeles Kings, the Golden Knights' top line of Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson and Smith had its best performance of the playoffs in Game 1.
Karlsson and Smith had three assists, and Marchessault scored his first career playoff goal and had two assists.
"It's always nice to contribute," Karlsson said. "We know we've got to work hard to score goals. It's going to be a different game. They're going to be ready to play."

4. Bounce back for Jones

Sharks goaltender Martin Jones allowed five goals on 13 shots before being replaced by Aaron Dell in the second period of Game 1.
But there's reason to believe Jones will have a better game Saturday. He was 5-0-1 in the regular season with a .966 save percentage and 0.99 goals-against average in games after he was pulled.
"We just need to be harder and we can't turn it over in the neutral zone," Jones said. "We can't feed their rushes with turnovers."

5. Importance of Game 2

NHL teams that win Game 2 at home to take a 2-0 lead win the best-of-7 series 89.5 percent of the time. Road teams that win Game 2 to tie a series 1-1 win the series 48.4 percent of the time.

Sharks projected lineup

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

Golden Knights projected lineup

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

Status report

Meier is expected to replace Kane on the first line. ... Donskoi, who appeared to sustain a lower-body injury at the end of Game 1, will play Saturday.