Inside the Cage: #DuckHunted

And on the eighth day, the Sharks rested.
In the span of exactly one week San Jose won four pressure-packed games against a big, strong, veteran, postseason-tested rival to advance beyond the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the 13th time. It marked only the second time in 37 all-time playoff series' that the hosts swept an opponent.
"Any time you sweep a team it's a lot closer than you realize," Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said. "There were some key moments guys made some big plays. Definitely it gives us confidence we can win."
As important as closing out the Anaheim Ducks with a 2-1 victory in Game 4 on Wednesday at SAP Center is the fact the Sharks matched what their next opponent accomplished when Vegas dispatched the Los Angeles Kings in a minimum amount of games as well. Earning the same rest as the Golden Knights puts San Jose on similar footing in preparation to face the surprising expansion team in Round 2 next week.
"You never expect sweep, you always want sweep," Sharks alternate captain Logan Couture said. "You always want to win every game you play. They're a very good team over there. They didn't have their best in a few games. We took advantage of that and it's good to get some rest now."
With Vegas looming on the horizon, here's what went right to allow the Sharks to beat an Anaheim team they met for only the second time in postseason.

ONE:

There was a locker-room full of candidates, but goalie Martin Jones was the series MVP. He stopped all but four of 132 shots to post a .970 save percentage in addition to a 1.00 goals-against average.
To put his career playoff accomplishments into perspective, Jones ranks third all-time among goalies to have played at least 25 playoff games with a .9313 save percentage. He trails only ex-Boston netminder Tim Thomas (.9326) and Washington's Braden Holtby (.9317), who is currently battling the Columbus Blue Jackets.
"I'm happy he's on my side," Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic said. "He's part of our team, and he's doing his job keeping us in it. He's played really well these four games."

"He's a big part of our team, has been for a long time and he's been doing that for a long time for us," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. "That's something we rely on and take for granted."
Jones had big moments throughout. Following his fifth career playoff shutout with 25 saves in a 3-0 Game 1 win, Jones stopped all 11 shots in the third period to preserve a 3-2 victory two nights later as a desperate Anaheim team failed to avoid falling into an 0-2 hole at home.
Jones was a perfect 19-for-19 in the second period of Game 3 while his teammates exploded for four unanswered goals on the way to an 8-1 win - the most goals San Jose has scored in a postseason game. And he denied the Ducks' last-ditch effort throughout Game 4 with another 30 saves, including seven Anaheim mustered over four failed power plays.
"Goaltending wins at this time of the year," Couture said. "He was fantastic. He made a lot of grade-A stops, he was our best penalty-killer."

TWO:

Knowing the Ducks would try to goad them into taking penalties and possibly try to rattle players with less playoff experience, the Sharks did not fall prey to Anaheim's undisciplined tactics.
Instead, San Jose took all the power plays the Ducks wanted to give and said 'thank you very much' in the form of converting 30 percent in the series (6-for-20).

"I'm just really proud of our group - their resiliency, their composure - we asked them to come into this series and play with composure," DeBoer said. "We knew they were going to try and push us out of the series physically. We stood in there and did it without taking penalties, and with discipline."

THREE:

Ryan Getzlaf didn't score a goal. Corey Perry didn't score a goal. Anaheim had four skaters with two points apiece, and that led the Ducks in scoring. Their power play went 2-for-12. Aside from a Brandon Montour assist, the Ducks got nothing in terms of offensive production from their blue line.
Those numbers illustrate what a clam-down job the Sharks did in suffocating their opponent in the series.
"That first line they have in Getzlaf, Perry and (Rickard) Rakell is as good a first line as there is in the league," DeBoer said. "Pickles and Brauney did a real good job on them for most of the series. They found a way to get some looks. But the strength of our team is our depth and the sum of our parts."
The Ducks led for 9:01 between Jakob Silfverberg's goal 40 seconds into Game 2 and before Marcus Sorensen struck at 9:41 for the first of two San Jose tallies before the end of the period. Otherwise, the series was tied or the Ducks trailed for the other 230:59 of the 240 minutes played in the series.
"There's a lot of things that have to happen for us to win - outscore them, special teams, breaking out, forechecking, playing fast," Vlasic said. "Everyone is contributing whether it's offense, blocking shots or taking a hit. Everybody is doing what they have to in order for us to win."

FOUR:

Fifteen of San Jose's 18 skaters appeared on the score sheet in the series with Couture and Pavelski leading a balanced attack with five points apiece. Evander Kane, Tomas Hertl and Sorensen followed with four each. The defense contributed six points, too.
And while all four forward lines were in sync, San Jose's fourth group that included Eric Fehr, Melker Karlsson and Sorensen were huge difference makers throughout.
Sorensen scored a goal in each of the last three games, including the ice-breaker in Wednesday's clincher. Fehr had a highlight-reel goal during the four-goal second-period rally in Game 3. And Karlsson chipped in three assists.

"It seemed like every time they went on the ice they were creating chances," Couture said. "Those guys have battled all season long. It was just big for them to score those goals in this series."
"Every night they hopped over the boards with energy, grabbed momentum for us and drew penalties," DeBoer said. "They were fantastic. I said from Day 1 we need to be a four-line team if we're going to have success."

FIVE:

And so now it's on to Vegas where the awe factor of what the Golden Knights have accomplished has been replaced by the fact they're a well-rounded team - led by a future Hall-of-Fame goalie Marc-Andre Fleury - who pose a serious threat to anyone who crossed their path.
"I remember playing them in November and walking out saying 'this isn't a mirage'," DeBoer said. "They came at you with the tenacity and the depth that they have. That opinion for me hasn't changed in any of the games we've played them.
"It's a great test for us, and we're going to need the prep time to be ready."
In addition that the 5-4 loss in overtime on Thanksgiving Day that left DeBoer impressed, the Sharks split against the Knights at in San Jose - losing 5-3 on Feb. 8 and winning 2-1 in OT on March 22 - before closing out the season series with a 3-2 road loss on March 31.
"They're just a tenacious, hard-working team," Jones said. "We need to make sure we're preparing properly here and that we're ready to go right from the start of Game 1 because they don't give you any room to breathe."
"They've been a really good team, all around," Pavelski added. "They've got some high-end players. They're playing well. They've got a good goalie who is playing well, too. So something will have to give."