The San Jose Sharks made it a priority to get faster following a loss in the Stanley Cup Final to Pittsburgh two years ago.

The Sharks looked awfully slow and lost at times in the 7-0 rout at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights in their second-round series opener.

Vegas outhit the Sharks D.J. Hayden Jersey , 48-33.

Vegas had 15 takeaways, San Jose had six.

Vegas blocked 26 shots, the Sharks 13.

San Jose was whistled for 10 penalties; Vegas just five.

”We had a laundry list of issues,” coach Peter DeBoer said. ”We weren’t good, and they beat us. It’s obviously not pretty and we know we have to be better across the board.”

The Sharks don’t have much time, and maybe that’s a good thing. Game 2 is Saturday night.

San Jose won’t have forward Evander Kane, who was suspended one game for cross-checking Vegas forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare in the head after a whistle late in the third period Thursday night. He was sent off and Joe Pavelski went off at the same time for slashing,

In a video announcing the suspension, the NHL department of player safety said Kane’s cross-check ”was not a hockey play” and served no purpose other than to strike an opponent in the head.

”I’m not a dirty player. It was just a forecheck that went into a scrum,” Kane said afterward. ”I just cross-checked him in the arm and unfortunately that rolled up when he extended his arm. There was no intent and I’m glad he wasn’t hurt on the play.”

The game was out of hand by then.

Goaltender Martin Jones, who looked brilliant in the first round by allowing just four goals in a sweep of Anaheim, came into the series with a career .931 save percentage Nick Vigil Jersey , third best ever among goalies with at least 20 playoff games. He gave up four goals in the first period alone and was pulled after allowing a fifth 3:28 into the second period.

”That was on us as a group and it wasn’t on him,” DeBoer said. ”I wanted to give him enough time that he could feel ready for Saturday but at the same time, you know, not have to stand in there and get embarrassed.”

The Sharks started the series without star center Joe Thornton, who has been out since Jan. 23 with a knee injury, and there is no timeline for his return.

The Sharks must figure out a way to solve Marc-Andre Fleury, who stopped 33 shots for his13th career shutout in the playoffs and third this postseason. Fleury made 17 saves in the first period alone, including 10 on the penalty kill, while his teammates were scoring at the other end. San Jose was 6 for 20 on the power play in the opening round against the Ducks but went 0-for-5 against Fleury.

”We have to be better, that’s the message they sent,” DeBoer said. ”And we’ve got to respond to that.”

—

Joe Tessitore calls his new gig at ESPN a "legacy job."

Jason Witten notes he's joining "another iconic franchise."

Booger McFarland says it's "the pinnacle of what we do."

They are the three new voices who will work ESPN's Monday night games this season.

Tessitore has been one of the network's top announcers for 16 years on boxing, college football and basketball Marshall Faulk Jersey , including calling the College Football Playoff semifinals the past two years. It will be his first NFL assignment.

"I am very conscious of that lineage," says Tessitore, who at 46 is the oldest member of what he calls "a young, vibrant crew."

"When I got the call that I would be doing this, my first reaction was remembering when I was a kid watching Frank Gifford, Dandy Don (Meredith) and Howard Cosell. Everybody back then watched 'Monday Night Football' and 'Wide World of Sports' and Howard Cosell doing boxing. I did a Cosell imitation that had my grandfather, who didn't speak English, laughing his tail off."

Witten, one of the sport's finest tight ends for 15 seasons and a likely Hall of Famer, retired from the Dallas Cowboys earlier this month to move into the booth.

Tessitore believes Witten will be a natural as he and McFarland replace Jon Gruden as analysts. Gruden, of course, is back coaching in the league with Oakland.

"We had a lot of candidates Pat McAfee Jersey , and at the end of the audition process we all were saying, 'This is very obvious,'" Tessitore says of Witten.

"He has such an upside that this is a guy who could be the next generation's face and voice of the NFL. He's smart, respected, even beloved by coaches, and has a tremendously high football IQ. Jason has a little of all the traits and characteristics of the great ones. Most importantly, he is wholly authentic."

Witten will be in the broadcast booth with Tessitore. McFarland, who won two Super Bowls as a player and has been an analyst for ESPN and SEC Network for four years, will be the first field-level analyst for "Monday Night Football.'"

The idea is for the effervescent McFarland to give a viewpoint from near the trenches 鈥?exactly where he spent nine pro seasons as a defensive lineman.

McFarland's wit and enthusiasm will be apparent from the outset of the broadcasts; ESPN's first telecast will be Thursday night, Aug. 16 with the Jets at the Redskins in the preseason.

"I am going to use a strange word to describe Booger as an announcer: nimble," Tessitore says. "He's dynamic, a huge personality and presence. You can't have a cookie-cutter type of analyst and Booger is far from that 鈥?he's a guy who you can turn on the red light for the broadcast and he's ready to go."

Tessitore replaces Sean McDonough Christian Kirksey Jersey , who returns to doing college football.

Lisa Salters is the only holdover, returning for her seventh season as the sideline reporter.

Tessitore recognizes the platform he and his new sidekicks will have. Their first regular-season game will be the nightcap of the opening Monday night doubleheader, the Rams at the Raiders (and Gruden).

"The college game lends itself to every game being its own story, the pageantry and the storytelling attached to it," Tessitore says. "In the NFL, each game is a continuation of a well-told narrative that everyone is following.

"It's like this is our weekly story, part of a book we've all been continuously reading, and each week we're on to the next chapter."

He also realizes that simply calling a game for three hours or longer isn't what his new job should be about. There's much more to it.

"There's a vision of when we land in town we begin to create content for fans who can go to the app and hear what we have to say about the upcoming games or what's happening in the league," he says. "We also want to have more content made available pre-game and postgame.

"I've become so football-obsessed, it has become ridiculous."

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