from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,

The San Jose Sharks lead the Los Angeles Kings 2-0 in their first-round playoff series, with Game 3 set for Monday, 10:30 p.m. ET, at what should be a hopping SAP Center. Five observations about what we've seen so far and why this series is worth watching:

1. Jumbo's a beast: There's a reason 36-year-old Joe Thornton should be on a few Selke Trophy ballots this season. Just watch the first two games of this series and you see again the two-way beast the veteran center has become over the past few seasons after making his name in his younger years as an offensive star. Thornton's defensive awareness has been on full display through two games, thwarting many a Kings' offensive attempt. It reminds me so much of the way Steve Yzerman changed his game under Scotty Bowman in his later years.

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