The San Jose Sharks walked into the Staples Center Friday night holding a three games to one advantage in the first-round of the NHL playoffs. They were in the driver’s seat after taking games one, two, and four, with the first two coming on enemy ice. While a three-game lead seems comfortable, the Sharks still had the task of finishing off the Los Angeles Kings, something they couldn’t do in their most recent playoff appearance.
Everyone knows that story by now. The Sharks won the first three games in the best-of-seven series in the 2014 edition of Lord Stanley’s Playoffs.