Evander Kane's suspension hangs over Game 2, but the Sharks should be able to mitigate his absence at the top of the lineup for one game against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Based on how head coach Peter DeBoer used his forward lines during the regular season, it's likely that Timo Meier will fill in for Kane alongside Joe Pavelski and Joonas Donskoi. The trio spent a decent amount of time together before San Jose acquired Kane at the trade deadline, and played together when he missed two games late in the season due to injury.
Meier, Pavelski, and Donskoi performed comparably to, if not better than Kane, Pavelski, and Donskoi. The former's played together for a little over 129 five-on-five minutes in the regular season, while the latter's played about 146 minutes. As the table below shows, their respective on-ice results are remarkably similar, save for a few key differences.
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| Category | 28-8-27 | 28-8-9 |
|---|---|---|
| CF/60 | 67.8 | 66.03 |
| CA/60 | 57.12 | 64.39 |
| SF/60 | 40.4 | 36.5 |
| SA/60 | 31.11 | 32.4 |
| xGF/60 | 3.17 | 2.7 |
| xGA/60 | 1.91 | 2.42 |
| GF/60 | 4.18 | 3.69 |
| GA/60 | 1.39 | 2.05 |
Meier, Pavelski, and Donskoi generate shots and expected goals at a noticeably higher rate than Kane, Pavelski, and Donskoi, while also suppressing shot attempts, shots, and expected goals better. That's not to say the latter iteration of the top line has played poorly. Far from it, in fact.
But Meier, Pavelski, and Donskoi have been the more productive trio, creating offense at a higher quantity (corsi-for, shots-for, goals-for) and quality (expected goals), while limiting opponents in those areas. San Jose, then, shouldn't experience much of a drop-off on the top line if Meier skates in his place.
The effect down the lineup is a little less clear. The Sharks won't practice ahead of Game 2, due to the 5 p.m. start time, but iced their usual lines during Friday's practice, according to reporters. Kane had not yet been suspended, so it's possible any takeaways from that practice are now moot.
San Jose Sharks
But, it's worth noting that, according to the Bay Area News Group's Paul Gackle, Kevin Labanc stayed out late for extra work and Jannik Hansen did not. Hansen last played on April 5, but was productive when he drew back into the lineup due to injuries in March, scoring six points in eight games. His speed would help the Sharks, who looked much slower than the Golden Knights in Game 1.
Although Labanc struggled in Game 1, Kane's suspension may keep him in the lineup. It's hard to imagine San Jose choosing to play a pivotal game down two top-nine forwards who play significant roles on the power play, especially when one is already out of the lineup not by choice.
The Sharks can ice a productive top line, as well as a strong lineup, in Game 2 while Kane sits. That's about all they can ask for without their leading scorer since the trade deadline, even if it doesn't mean the series is split headed back to San Jose.