Don't let the smile fool you. Tomas Hertl is a gamer.
And now the Sharks forward is proving to be a playoff gamer.
Hertl scored the ice-breaker in Game 1 on Friday to trigger the Sharks’ five-goal third period and comeback victory. His effort typified the kind of shared contributions San Jose has received through the early stages of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
“Before the puck drops he's a quiet, unassuming, happy-go-lucky kid,” Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. “But the puck drops and he's competitive. He's not going to back down from anybody.”
When the puck drops again Sunday at SAP Center shortly after 5 p.