Vegas @ San Jose preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 30, 2019 ) Vegas 3, San Jose 4

The San Jose Sharks made quite the splash prior to the season by acquiring star defenseman Erik Karlsson, although the two-time Norris Trophy recipient was plagued by injuries before returning for the finale. A presumably healthy Karlsson looks to help the Sharks avenge last year's postseason exit at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights when the teams open their Western Conference first-round series on Wednesday in San Jose.

"I didn't go too hard (in Saturday's 5-2 win over Colorado), didn't want to risk anything. I'll be able to go full out (in the playoffs) and hopefully pick it up where I left off," Karlsson said of his return after missing 27 of 32 games with groin injuries. The 28-year-old Swede, who was acquired from Ottawa on Sept. 13, showed he has the potential to carry a club on a pronounced postseason run when he helped the Senators to within one goal of the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals after posting a team-leading 18 points (two goals, 16 assists). Marc-Andre Fleury, who was on the Pittsburgh team that ended Karlsson's bid for glory, returned from a three-week absence due to a lower-body injury to yield four goals in back-to-back losses to conclude the season. The three-time Stanley Cup winner turned aside 57 of 60 shots in two meetings with San Jose -- including all 33 he faced in a 6-0 win on Nov. 24 -- and had two blankings as the Golden Knights bounced the Sharks in six games last year.

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, Sportsnet, TVAS2, AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountains (Vegas)

ABOUT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS (43-32-7): Ottawa also helped Vegas bolster its playoff aspirations with the in-season trade of Mark Stone, who joined offseason acquisitions Paul Stastny and Max Pacioretty on a line that could prove to be more potent than the top trio of Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson and Reilly Smith. Marchessault, who led the club in goals (25) and points (59) while his 34 assists were tied with Smith, scored two goals and set up four others in the season series against San Jose. William Karlsson collected eight points (three goals, five assists) in last year's playoff series versus the Sharks.

ABOUT THE SHARKS (46-27-9): San Jose became the first NHL team since Detroit and Philadelphia in 2008-09 to feature four 30-goal scorers -- captain Joe Pavelski (38), Tomas Hertl (35), Evander Kane (30) and Timo Meier (30) -- while offensive-minded defenseman Brent Burns finished the season with career-high totals in assists (67) and points (83). While the Sharks boast significant depth at both forward and defense, the question of whether goaltender Martin Jones is capable of guiding the team on another postseason run remains in play. Jones, whose 36 wins fell one shy of his career-high total, recorded just an .895 save percentage in last year's second-round series versus Vegas.

OVERTIME

1. Vegas C Cody Eakin recorded two of his career-best 22 goals against San Jose this season.

2. Hertl carries a career high-tying seven-game point streak (three goals, seven assists) into Wednesday's tilt versus the Golden Knights, against whom he set up four goals this season.

3. Marchessault (two goals, two assists) and Smith (one goal, three assists) each registered a four-point performance in a 7-3 win over San Jose on March 18.

PREDICTION: Golden Knights 3, Sharks 2