San Jose @ Vegas preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 14, 2019 ) San Jose 3, Vegas 6

The Vegas Golden Knights' second line is outplaying their first, but that's perfectly fine given that Mark Stone, Paul Stastny and Max Pacioretty are outperforming the rest of the league. The Golden Knights will look for more production from that potent trio Tuesday when they play Game 4 of their Western Conference first-round series versus the visiting San Jose Sharks.

"I love playing in Vegas, my teammates, the fans, this city. This is why I came here. ... Everything I expected and more," said Stone, who recorded his first career hat trick to go along with two assists as the Golden Knights posted a 6-3 victory Sunday to take a 2-1 edge in the series. The 26-year-old Stone, who was acquired from Ottawa on Feb. 25, leads the NHL with six goals while his eight points are matched by Stastny - two ahead of Pacioretty. "They've eaten us up this series," San Jose coach Peter DeBoer told reporters. "What do they do well? It is three very good players that are playing at a really high level. We've got to find an answer to slow those guys down." Sharks center Joe Thornton was suspended for Game 3 following his illegal check to the head of Vegas center Tomas Nosek on Sunday.

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, Sportsnet 360, TVAS2; NBCS California (San Jose), AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountains (Vegas)

ABOUT THE SHARKS: Defenseman Erik Karlsson boosted his team-leading totals in assists and points to five of both after setting up Logan Couture's power-play goal at 4:57 of the third period Sunday. Timo Meier tallied 54 seconds later to cut San Jose's deficit to 5-3, but the Sharks were ultimately done in after Vegas scored within the first 36 seconds of each period. "Not good enough," San Jose captain Joe Pavelski said. "There's always a lot of emotion in playoff games. It's the starts of periods we need to be better at it."

ABOUT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS: While San Jose lamented its sluggish start, Vegas coach Gerard Gallant praised the way his team set the tone to put its Pacific Division rival on its heels. "We went out there and found a way to get a couple of goals early," Gallant said after the Golden Knights became the 13th team in NHL history and third in the last 30 years to score in the opening minute of consecutive playoff games. "We carried the momentum a lot from those quick starts to each period." Marc-Andre Fleury is still finding his way following a three-week absence because of an undisclosed injury, surrendering 18 goals on 169 shots in his last five games.

OVERTIME

1. Sharks G Martin Jones has allowed 11 goals on 73 shots in the series while being pulled once.

2. Golden Knights D Shea Theodore has set up four goals in the series after recording a career-high 25 assists this season.

3. San Jose RW Kevin Labanc has four points (one goal, three assists) in five games versus Vegas in 2018-19.

PREDICTION: Sharks 4, Golden Knights 2