My Two Cents: Key For The San Jose Sharks To Beating The L.A. Kings

Kings Are The Usual Suspects

When you play a team like the Los Angeles Kings, you are pretty much picking your poison. There is not one player on the roster outside of maybe the goalies that can’t score from anywhere on the ice and at any time.

Obviously Brown can light the lamp, but so can Anze Koptiar, Drew Doughty, Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, Dwight King, Tyler Toffoli, Alec Martinez, Jake Muzzin and so on. The Kings are almost the west coast version of an NHL All-Star team. They are fast, and they can track down a puck faster than you can blink your eyes.

In net, Jonathan Quick has emerged from his baptism by fire rookie season in 2008-09 to become one of the premier goalies in the NHL. Quick is one of those goalies that is in the minds of those who answer the question, “If you were starting an NHL franchise who would be your first choice for a goalie?”.

The Sharks over the last couple of seasons have simply not scored much on Quick despite the number of shots they have put on net. The Sharks are not alone here as most teams have had trouble getting rubber past Quick. The bottom line here is that the Kings are going to be and handful and then some. The Sharks can beat the Kings but to do so they are going to have to raise the level of their own game. Focusing on getting payback other than on the scoreboard won’t get it done.

Remember, the revenge factor is what the LA Kings want the Sharks to focus on, not playing solid hockey. Another thing to keep in mind about the Kings is that they have no interpretation about playing a game at the Shark Tank. If the Kings steal a game in San Jose, it will become mandatory for the Sharks to win a game in LA (and it may be anyway).