Friday Four: Golden Knights two wins from conference final

Each Friday throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Kevin Weekes will bring you his Friday Four. He will be blogging about four players, teams, plays, or trends that have caught his eye.

RELATED: [Complete Golden Knights vs. Sharks series coverage]

Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights have earned the right to be considered one of the NHL's top teams with their commitment, belief, style of play, consistency and attention to detail. From owner Bill Foley through general manager George McPhee, coach Gerard Gallant and the entire staff, down to the roster and their incredible fans, it doesn't look like their fairy-tale season is going to end anytime soon.
Vegas is 6-2 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs after a 4-0 loss in Game 4 against the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday in Game 4 of the Western Conference Second Round. They were unable to solve goalie Martin Jones and will look to rebound Friday in Game 5 (10 p.m. ET; NBSCN, CBC, TVAS) on home ice, where they have played well all season. Vegas is two wins from reaching the conference final, which would be another chapter to add to a remarkable story.
We all know how well goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has played, but this has totally been a team effort. The Golden Knights have used a balanced offense; they have scored 21 goals during the postseason, with 11 players scoring at least one. That's the kind of depth that has carried them to this point.

San Jose Sharks

General manager Doug Wilson has guided San Jose into the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 13 of the past 14 seasons, including a trip to the Cup Final in 2016. Pete DeBoer, in my eyes, should have been a candidate for coach of the year for what he's accomplished with them. And having their American Hockey League team in San Jose has also helped to accelerate the development of some of their prospects.
Acquiring forward Evander Kane just before the NHL Trade Deadline on Feb. 26 was the best move any team made, I think. He gives their team an element it was missing and he brings a physical presence as well as a knack for scoring. Combine him with the play of Jones, defenseman Brent Burns and the leadership skills of captain Joe Pavelski, and it's been really impressive. Remember, they're doing this without forward Joe Thornton, who has been out since late January with a knee injury.
San Jose has found a way to answer every challenge thus far. After sweeping the Anaheim Ducks in the first round, they were blown out 7-0 by the Golden Knights in Game 1 of the second round before responding with a 4-3 win in overtime in Game 2 to tie the series. They lost 4-3 in overtime in Game 3, but had a dominating performance in Game 4 to tie the series.

Washington Capitals

The Capitals, without question, have made adjustments during the first four games of the Eastern Conference Second Round against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The biggest one has been their commitment to playing a more complete team game and doing whatever it takes to win. That's why their series is tied 2-2 after four games instead of Washington trailing 3-1, as they did last season and in 2015.
Washington can't rely solely on its offense or goaltending to get through to the conference final. The Capitals have to match the style the Penguins play, whether that means focusing on offense or making defensive adjustments. The Capitals did just that in Games 2 and 3, both wins. They weren't able to do so in losses in Game 1 and Game 4.
Forward Alex Ovechkin (eight goals, five assists) and center Nicklas Backstrom (three goals, 10 assists) each has 13 points and defenseman John Carlson (two goals, eight assists) and center Evgeny Kuznetsov (five goals, five assists) each has 10. Goaltender Braden Holtby has been excellent since taking over in Game 2 of the first round, going 6-3-0 with a 2.07 goals-against average and .924 save percentage.

Jake Guentzel

As Mike Rupp and I said on NHL Network on Thursday, Guentzel reminds us of our former teammate Zach Parise. Guentzel plays the game hard and the right way, and not only always seems to have a knack for scoring, but positions himself in the right spots in the ice.
Guentzel has 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists) in 10 games to lead all playoff scorers, including two goals for the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 3-1 win in Game 3 on Thursday to tie the series with the Washington Capitals at 2-2. The 23-year-old has 42 points (23 goals, 19 assists) in 25 playoff games, and has picked up where he left off last season when he had a League-best 13 goals and eight assists in 25 games and was a serious candidate for the Conn Smythe Trophy.
With center Evgeni Malkin missing three games because of injury and right wing Phil Kessel struggling, it's been nice to have Guentzel contribute so the Penguins don't have to always rely on Guentzel's linemate, center Sidney Crosby. He's already established himself as a clutch playoff performer in just two seasons in the League.

HONORABLE MENTION

P.K. Subban of the Nashville Predators has had primarily defensive zone starts and has matched up against the Winnipeg Jets' best offensive players. But he's scored a goal in three straight games, including the winner in Nashville's 2-1 victory in Game 4 on Thursday. Subban has eight points (three goals, five assists) in 10 playoff games this season and leads defenseman in scoring over the past five postseasons (11 goals, 31 assists). He's very deserving of the Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman after being named a finalist last month.