The Erik Karlsson and Marc-Edouard Vlasic pairing is still a work in progress.
While that isn’t the story of the San Jose Sharks’ 4-0 rout of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Karlsson and Vlasic perfecting their chemistry is necessary to the team’s long-term success.
It’s not quite there yet.
It’s hard to judge this Vlasic (44) pass to Karlsson (65) without being able to see Vlasic’s entire field of vision. It was cautious — a bounce pass behind the net, to keep it away from the Penguins forecheck, instead of what appeared to be a more direct connection in front of Martin Jones.