BoT Gameday: Sharks @ Kings

It doesn’t get any bigger than this. Two games against Los Angeles. The winner tonight has a strong chance at the division title pending what Phoenix does in it’s final two games. The stakes can’t be any bigger.

This is the fifth of sixth meetings between the two teams, with the home team being victorious in all four previous matchups. Los Angeles has won 9 of it’s last twelve and vaulted them from as far as 10th in the West to the verge of winning only it’s second division championship in the 44-year history of the Kings franchise. For San Jose, a win will clinch the team’s 15th playoff berth in it’s 21-year history. Team Teal still has a chance to win the division, but need to sweep both games plus get help with Phoenix falling apart in it’s last two games.

Douglas Murray is once again likely out tonight via reporters who attended the morning skate. For that matter, head coach Todd McLellan is expected to keep the same lineup from Tuesday’s game vs. Dallas. In that game, Logan Couture and T.J. Galiardi got off their long schnides to help the Sharks to victory and push the Stars on the brink of elimination.

ON THIS DATE…
If the Sharks clinch a playoff spot tonight, it wouldn’t be the first time they did it on April 5th. 18 years ago today, Jamie Baker scored two big goals in a 2-1 San Jose victory that clinched the team’s first ever playoff berth. It completed a comeback that saw the team start with an 0-8-1 record, and a 11-71-2 the season before.

A few weeks later, Jamie Baker once again came up huge scoring what is still known as “the biggest goal in Sharks history” as the Sharks shocked the top seeded Detroit Red Wings in seven games.

Can the Sharks dethrone the Kings? Or will the Pacific Division crown be passed to Los Angeles? We begin to find out at 7:30pm. LET’S PUCKING DO THIS!!!