Do the Sharks have a West Coast bias?

10:40 PM ET

PITTSBURGH — It was striking, really, just how little players on the 2012 New Jersey Devils and 2014 New York Rangers truly knew about the Los Angeles Kings in their respective Stanley Cup finals.

Before it was too late, that is.

Oh, to be sure the coaching staffs on those Devils and Rangers teams fully prepared their players with a ton of film and instruction. But that goes only so far.

By the time the Devils and Rangers knew what hit them in those Cup finals, the series was more or less over.

On the flip side, West Coast players tend to be more naturally aware about their Eastern Conference comrades.

“We watch a ton of games,” San Jose Sharks defenseman Justin Braun said Sunday, on the eve of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals. Why? Because the games from the East are on at 4 p.m. Pacific Time.

It seems like a silly thing but ask any player on the three California clubs and they will tell you how the East games are always on when they get to the rink and as they prepare for their games.

On the flip side, you’re not getting too many Eastern Conference players staying up to watch 10:30 p.m. ET puck drops in San Jose.

“That’s very true,” said current Penguins and former Anaheim Ducks defenseman Ben Lovejoy on Sunday. “I go to bed at 10 o’clock right now. I don’t watch any West Coast games, I’m a complete East Coast homer when I’m living here. When I lived in California, we would have every East Coast game on at 4 o’clock just because it was available.”

Well, there’s at least one hockey junkie on the Penguins who’s the exception to the rule.

Whether he’s taping West Coast games or staying up to watch, No. 87 absolutely keeps track of things all around the league. He loves it.

“Oh, yeah, I watch,” Sidney Crosby said, smiling Sunday.

The disadvantage Peter DeBoer’s Devils had in 2012 is now an advantage for his Sharks. Kirby Lee/Images of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

Get to know the Penguins captain and one thing you’ll learn over the years is that once your interview session with him is over, he’s apt more often than not to reverse the role and pepper the odd journalist with a question or two about what’s going on around the league. He’s always had that inquisitive mind, wants to stay on top of what’s happening around the league. Wayne Gretzky …

continue reading in source espn.go.com