The set-up: The NHL's first round features 16 teams and eight series. Just two of those eight series ended it 4-0 sweeps, as the expansion Vegas Golden Knights did so against the LA Kings and the San Jose Sharks brushed aside the Anaheim Ducks. The second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs opens tonight and one of the two Western Conference semifinal series will feature those two 'sweepers.' The Vegas Golden Knights host the San Jose Sharks in the opener of their Western Conference semifinal, after Vegas allowed three goals to Los Angeles in its half of the Pacific Division derby, while San Jose manhandled Anaheim, outscoring the Ducks 16-4. The Golden Knights rely on a raucous crowd at T-Mobile Arena and were dominant against Pacific opponents, finishing 20-6-3 in division play and winning three of four matchups (3-0-1) against the Sharks, a series that included three one-goal decisions. The Sharks come in full of confidence, as they were the most impressive team in the first round of the playoffs, opening with two wins in Anaheim before rolling up eight goals in Game 3.

San Jose: The Sharks are now better able to counter Vegas' four lines thanks to the trade-deadline acquisition of forward Evander Kane, who had nine goals in 17 regular-season games with the Sharks before scoring three times in the first round on the top line with captain Joe Pavelski and Joonas Donskoi. Logan Couture scored a team-high 34 goals during the regular season and has 74 points in 90 career postseason games, including a playoff-high 30 in leading San Jose to the Stanley Cup Final in 2016. Goaltender Martin Jones was outstanding against Anaheim but posted a 1-2-0 mark with a 3.32 goals-against average and .899 save percentage versus Vegas.

Vegas: Jones may have been good vs. Anaheim but the Golden Knight's Marc-Andre Fleury was nearly impregnable against the Kings. He came into the 2018 postseason with plenty of playoff experience as part of three Stanley Cup-winning teams with the Pittsburgh Penguins and was near-perfect against the Kings. Vegas won all four games by just one goal, with Fleury owning an 0.65 GAA and .977 SP. Vegas managed only seven goals against Los Angeles but featured four players with at least 25 goals during the regular season, led by William Karlsson (43), who has scored four times to go with an assist in the four matchups against San Jose.

The pick: Vegas is 31-10-2 at home but will be facing a veteran San Jose squad that is 22-14-7 on the road. The "elephant in the room" is which team can shake off the rust quicker? Vegas will be playing its first game in nine days, while San Jose will be taking the ice for the first time in eight days. I just don't see a 1-0 or 2-1 contest. "5" seems like an easily attainable plateau. Make the Over a 10* play.