Ryan Reaves calls out Joe Thornton ahead of 1st round playoff match up.

I can not lie, if San Jose Sharks star forward Joe Thornton and Las Vegas Golden Knights enforcer Ryan Reaves set out to drum up some extra interest for their expected first round playoff match up it has worked to perfection. That being said I do not think even for one second that is the case, and instead I just believe that these two organizations have rapidly built up a rather intense rivalry. 

On Saturday night the San Jose Sharks and Las Vegas Golden Knights faced off in what should serve as a preview of their upcoming first round playoff match up in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs. It was an incredible game from the perspective of an observer with it perhaps being the most playoff-like game of the 2018 - 2019 National Hockey League regular season this far. The level of physicality in this one was off the charts with the teams collecting a combined 80 hits during the game, a huge count when you look at the numbers. To provide some context, as the team that has delivered the second most hits in the NHL this season the Golden Knights still normally average just 27.7 hits per game. Add to that the fact that the Sharks are the fifth lowest team in terms of hits delivered in the NHL, and you start to get a picture of how much these two teams ramp of their level of play when facing each other. 

It makes all the sense in the world after all, even though the Las Vegas Golden Knights have only been in the National Hockey League for the better part of 2 seasons now they have had plenty of time to make enemies. It was the Golden Knights who put an end to the San Jose Sharks most recent playoff run, beating them in a 6 games series before eventually emerging as the Western Conference Champions. Reaves believes that the Sharks have carried that playoff run with them into this current season.

“They’re going to be a little bitter about that so they carry it into this season,” Reaves said as per Golden Knights insider Jesse Granger. “We answer the bell and it just keeps going. It just accumulates.”

There certainly was some bitterness on Saturday night and perhaps unsurprisingly some of it came from one the the National Hockey League's most well respected veterans. During a scrum between the two squads Thornton used the butt end of his stick to poke Reaves in the face and eye area several times, clearly an attempt to antagonize the big man into doing something foolish. Reaves however would take the bait, delivering a punch to Thornton while an NHL official was standing between the two men and earning himself a 10 minute vacation in the process. 

Reaves after the game however was quick to mock the antics from Thornton, calling out the Sharks veteran ahead of what will almost certainly be a tough playoff series between the Sharks and Golden Knights. Reaves made it clear t hat he feels Thornton is no threat, and perhaps challenged his manhood in the process by implying that Thornton had no intention of ever dropping the mitts with him.

“Yeah, I mean what’s he going to do? Fight me? He speared me in the eye a little bit, with little baby jabs,” Reaves said with a chuckle. He clearly enjoys that style of game. “I love that stuff. It’s my favorite. I’m always smiling, right?”

Reaves even got some help from his brother, Canadian Football League player Jordan Reaves, on social media who had some more colorful words to share regarding Jumbo Joe.

I for one can't wait for this series to kick off.

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