The San Jose Sharks’ blueline stars two Norris Trophy winners in Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns, but the key to their Stanley Cup hopes might be Marc-Edouard Vlasic.
In theory, the 2014 Olympic gold medalist, along with long-time partner Justin Braun, is counted upon to shut down the opposition’s top scorers. This frees up offensive dynamos Karlsson and Burns to do what they do best.
But you know what they say about the best-laid plans. By any measure, the Vlasic-Braun pairing is having a difficult season against admittedly the toughest competition and zone starts.