San Jose’s path to the final looks very similar to the coach’s last team.
The similarities are striking.
Both runs came following non-playoff seasons. Both matchups featured teams from opposite sides of the country. Both appearances came in Peter DeBoer’s first season as head coach, and he found himself in 0-2 holes both times (2012 would even reach 0-3).
But the similarities extend far beyond the surface level. Read between the lines and you will see just how similar DeBoer’s 2012 New Jersey Devils and 2016 San Jose Sharks are. The gameplan and strategies are largely the same in major parts of the game.