Martin Jones to start Sharks’ do-or-die Game 5 vs. Golden Knights
SAN JOSE — Martin Jones will be the Sharks’ starting goaltender against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday in a do-or-die Game 5, which could see the return of defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic.
Vlasic, skating for the first time since he suffered an undisclosed injury in Game 2 last Friday, felt good after he was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice and is a possibility to play if he responds well, Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said.
Joe Thornton, who served his one game suspension Tuesday, will be back in the lineup for Game 5 with Marcus Sorensen and Kevin Labanc on his wings.
After winning Game 1 on April 10, the Sharks have lost three straight games to the Golden Knights and are on the brink of elimination in the best-of-7 first round series after Game 4’s 5-0 loss at T-Mobile Arena.
“Do all the little things — blocking shots, attention to detail, not turning the puck over, special teams. Playing hockey,” Vlasic said of playing in an elimination game. “Just play hockey. Don’t worry about the extra stuff. That’s what everybody wants to talk about. Just go out there and play.”
Vlasic, the Sharks’ most playoff-experienced defenseman, was injured in the second period of Game 2 after he blocked a shot from Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore. Vlasic said Wednesday he didn’t remember where he was struck by the puck, as he left the ice immediately after the incident happened.
From the point of Vlasic’s injury until the end of Game 4 on Tuesday, the Sharks have been outscored 13-3 and have allowed five power play goals. Vegas’s line of Max Pacioretty, Mark Stone and Paul Stastny has been dominant in that span with a combined 18 points.
Vlasic’s potential return would give the Sharks’ blue line a much-needed shot in in the arm considering Radim Simek is already out for the season with knee ligament damage and Erik Karlsson is not playing at 100 percent health after going through groin and leg issues since January.
“We need everybody right now, so today was a good step for him,” Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said of Vlasic. “He fills some big holes for us, and he’s experienced this time of the year. He’s been through a lot. Good defensively. He’s just solid.”
A Vlasic return also potentially helps Jones, who has a .838 save percentage and a 5.33 goals against average — both of which rank 17th and last among all playoff goaltender — through four games this series.
Jones, who allowed two goals on seven shots in the first period of Game 4 before he was pulled in favor of Aaron Dell, was the first Sharks player on the ice for Wednesday’s practice.
“What’s done is done,” said Jones, who s 2-3 in his Sharks career in elimination games. “It doesn’t matter at this point. We’re down 3-1. We’ve just got to win a game tomorrow.”
“You just have to work through it. He knows he can be better,” DeBoer said of Jones. “At the same time, we’re not in this spot because of him.
“The challenge here for everybody is, are you part of the solution or are you part of the problem? You’ve got to be on the right side of that. The only way to get your game to where you’re helping instead if hurting us is to work through it.”
Marc-Andre Fleury made 28 saves Tuesday, including 12 on the power play and a few others on high-danger chances, for his 15th career postseason shutout. Through four games, he has a .920 save percentage and a 2.51 goals against average.
In other words, Fleury’s looking more and more like the player he was in the second round last season when he had a .935 save percentage and led the way in ending the Sharks’ season.
“We’ve scored all year and we’ve created enough looks in most of these games to get three or four goals, which would give us a chance to win,” DeBoer said. “Other than Game 1, I thought (Fleury’s) been pretty good, and he’s gotten better as the series has gone on.”