Ranking the Stanley Cup playoff Round 2 matchups by watchability

WINNIPEG, MB - MARCH 25: Ben Chiarot #7 of the Winnipeg Jets and Miikka Salomaki #20 of the Nashville Predators battle in front of goaltender Connor Hellebuyck #37 during third period action at the Bell MTS Place on March 25, 2018 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Jets defeated the Preds 5-4 in the shootout. (Photo by Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images) /

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 31: Vegas Golden Knights center William Karlsson (71) shoots the puck from between his legs and scores a goal during the third period of a regular season game between the San Jose Sharks and the Vegas Golden Knights Saturday, March 31, 2018, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Vegas Golden Knights would defeat the San Jose Sharks 3-2. (Photo by: Marc Sanchez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

3. Vegas Golden Knights vs. San Jose Sharks

The Vegas Golden Knights and the San Jose Sharks made it to round 2 the quickest. And if you chose one of these two as your dark horse to make the Stanley Cup Final, you’re feeling pretty good right now.

After they swept their way through the Los Angeles Kings, the trendiest upset pick of the first round, everyone wants to see how far this Golden Knights fairytale is going to last. Even though it was 4-0, every game was decided by one goal, and the goaltending was the story of that series. Jonathan Quick was unbelievable in posting a .947 save percentage — but Marc-Andre Fleury was better than him, putting up a .977 save percentage and shutting the door twice.

Watching Fleury’s final playoff run for the Penguins was inspiring, but after Matt Murray took over for him halfway through, most casual fans will be on his side as he looks to will this expansion team to a Stanley Cup in their first season.

The Sharks weren’t nearly as competitive with the Anaheim Ducks, outscoring them 16-4 – although half of those goals came from Game 3. Picking up Evander Kane at the deadline has paid off massively for the Sharks, as he scored three goals in his playoff debut. What’s more impressive, though, is that they’ve been doing this without Joe Thornton who has played in a career-low 47 games this season. Getting him back for this series would be an enormous boost for this team.

The Golden Knights should feel confident in taking on the Sharks after beating their in-state rivals in the first round. The only difference is San Jose isn’t from Southern Cal and will be a much tougher out than the Kings. This series will be on late at night, but if you’re a fan of #Pac12AfterDark, you’ll be an even bigger fan of this matchup.

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