Sharks' Erik Karlsson, Vegas' Mark Stone looking for first Game 7 win

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Erik Karlsson and Mark Stone were on the same side of the last Game 7 they played.

Karlsson, now a Sharks defenseman, and Stone, now a Vegas Golden Knights winger, arguably were the Ottawa Senators' best players in a double-overtime, Game 7 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Final two years ago. The former assisted the latter's goal in the first period, and Karlsson also set up the Senators' tying goal late in the third period.

It was only Stone's first Game 7 in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and Karlsson's second. One will have to beat the other Tuesday night for the first Game 7 win of their respective careers, as the Sharks and Golden Knights' first-round series concludes.

"I thnk I lost both, right?" Karlsson quipped at the Sharks' morning skate Tuesday. "No, it's fun. We've been playing two Game 7s in a row here now. For us, we know what's on the line. ... It's all going to be about this group in here, this room in here and what we feel we have to do to be successful."

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Part of that success lies in the Sharks shutting down Karlsson's former teammate, and Stone's new linemates Max Pacioretty and Paul Stastny. San Jose forced this all-or-nothing contest by winning each of the last two games, and Stone failed to score in each of those games. He still led the Stanley Cup playoffs in goals (six) and points (10) entering Tuesday, but Stone has not picked up a point since Game 4.

In all situations over the last two games, Stone has been held to only one shot on goal, seven attempts (none off the rush) and two high-danger chances, according to Natural Stat Trick. In the first four games, Stone had 11 shots, 16 attempts (two off the rush) and seven high-danger chances.

In the series, Karlsson has played more at 5-on-5 against Stone than any other Vegas forward, and Stone has seen more of Karlsson than any Sharks skater. But since defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic returned to San Jose's lineup in Game 5, Stone has primarily played against Vlasic. The Golden Knights largely have controlled the 5-on-5 shot clock with Stone out against Vlasic, but managed just two high-danger chances in 13:34 of 5-on-5 time when both were on the ice in Game 5.

NBC Sports California analyst Jamie Baker pointed to Vlasic as a big reason why the Sharks have kept Stone and his line off the board, plus San Jose's awareness of the trio's strengths -- namely, their ability to quickly read and react.

"If you're playing against that line, you can't make high-risk plays," Baker said in a phone interview Monday. "You've got to go low-risk. You've got to know that these guys can counter so quickly, and make things happen so fast that you can't turn the puck over. ... If you go off the ice at the same time they do, and they don't get any scoring chances, it's a neutral shift but it's almost slightly an advantage for you since you're neutralizing their top-scoring line."

Vlasic won't be able to play against Stone's line every shift, so Karlsson probably will still see his fair share of his former teammate Tuesday night. Although he has mostly matched up with William Karlsson's line ovet the last two games, the two-time Norris Trophy winner told reporters he expects to see a mix of opponents in Game 7.

Karlsson has not quite looked himself in this series, and the Sharks' regular-season finale just over two weeks ago was his first in a month-and-a-half after injuring himself before and after the All-Star break. Despite that, he still leads San Jose in points (seven -- all assists) just as his former teammate has paced Vegas.

[RELATED: Broadcasters pick Game 7 unsung heroes]

Game 7 will come down to more than just a pair of former Senators, though.

"We can't be scared of losing," Karlsson said. "We've got to ... control the puck, and not be afraid to make mistakes, because they're going to happen anyways. It's all about how you recover and how you deal with it. We should have a lot of confidence in here. We know who we are as a team. We know what we have to do, and again, it's just a matter of doing it."

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