Matt Smith is ‘House of the Dragon’s’ ‘agent of chaos.’ And he’s loving every minute of it
After 12 games, the Los Angeles Kings have been swept by the San Jose Sharks. But things might not look like they will when the Stanley Cup finals start Wednesday night in San Jose.
The Kings are outplaying the Sharks. Their special teams are clicking with the help of some special individual efforts, and they’ve gotten solid goaltending from Jonathan Quick.
But the Sharks have the star power of the Sharks, the edge in special teams, and the edge in goaltending. They have the speed and heart for the final three games, and they have the coach with the Stanley Cup for the final three games.
This is truly a “House of the Dragon’s” game. But when the puck drops in San Jose, things could quickly slip into chaos.
It happens every year to the Kings. And the more they let their foot off the gas, the more they slide over the edge.
The Sharks know how to get out of bed every morning, and they want to stay there. The Kings must stay with their foot on the gas, staying with the Sharks’ momentum, which is building and gaining speed.
I recently watched the Kings win Game 5 against the New York Rangers on New Year’s Day. I loved the Kings’ play in that game, particularly their big two-way centerman in Jeff Carter. They had a great shot at the game, but they didn’t have much of a chance in the end.
A week later, the Kings were at it again. They won Game 4 against the Chicago Blackhawks and Game 3 against the Sharks. They beat the Blackhawks thanks to a penalty shot in Game 3, and they dominated the Sharks in Game 4.
So the Kings’ best-of-seven series with the Sharks looks like it’s going as planned.
But while the Kings are looking forward to the end of this series, they are also looking backward. They are trying to figure out how to get it right on the road for Game 4 against the Sharks on Thursday night at SAP Center.
There are many lessons to learn as this series heads back to a home for the final time in the Western Conference finals.
