Vegas Does a Smash-o-Rama on San José

It's clear by now that the Vegas Golden Knights saw traits in available players that other teams either didn't or had no room to keep.

For example, converting Swedish winger William Karlsson into a center, where he's morphed into a bona fide force.

Thus, they were confident from Day One that they'd be in with a shout for a playoff spot.

Needless to say, dudes were right.

 

It's safe to say the Knights have a host of believers now, especially as they've kept their foot on the gas in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Sweeping the Los Angeles Kings in the first round was impressive enough. Now, has begun the second round by firing on all cylinders and then some.

 

The San José Sharks are playoff-hardened and on a mission to return to the Cup finals and hoist it this time.

If that's gonna happen, they'd be well advised to raise their game.

Getting smoked, 7-0, is no way to begin a series. This one was over in the first 12 minutes.

 

The most deceptive aspect of the Knights' game is their team speed. This is a group of dudes who can fly.

Those wheels have masked mistakes -- especially in center ice -- that mitigate the opportunities to pressure Marc-André Fleury.

 

Being real, no one expects the Sharks to go that meekly into the night again. But Fleury's white-hot and his teammates are closing angles and gaps in parsecs.

It won't be a surprise, then, for them to lean on their size and strength, going into bulldozer mode. They'll roll out the howitzers from longer range and crash the net for rebounds.

 

No city likes a winner like Vegas, and they've got one of the unlikeliest on a roll right now. The city's nature is to like those even more.

And it hasn't even had a chance to become a real hockey town yet. Doesn't seem to matter.