DeBoer: 'I'd be an idiot' to tweak lineup ahead of Golden Knights series
Peter DeBoer doesn't see any need to make adjustments as he prepares to face the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The San Jose Sharks head coach expressed as much when asked if he might consider inserting Joakim Ryan with Brent Burns on the top defense pairing instead of Paul Martin.
“We just won four straight against a great hockey team and I’d be an idiot to make lineup changes," DeBoer told reporters, including Bay Area News Group's Curtis Pashelka, on Friday. "We’ll let you guys overthink that. Make as many lineup changes as you want. But unless we find it necessary, why would you mess with how we’re playing right now?”
Ryan played alongside Burns for much of the regular season before getting hurt last month. Martin took Ryan's spot down the stretch and remained there for the start of the first-round series, even when Ryan returned to health.
The Sharks swept the Anaheim Ducks with a victory in Game 4 on Wednesday, one night after the Golden Knights did the same to the Los Angeles Kings.
The schedule for the second round has yet to be determined.