December 19, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings left wing
Dwight King(74) moves the puck against the defense of San Jose Sharks right wing
Mike Brown(18) during the third period at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
The San Jose Sharks could not have wished for a better start to their opening round series against the Los Angeles Kings.
They have a 2-0 series lead, blowing out the Kings both times, and have already scored more goals on Jonathan Quick than they did during last postseason. Game 2 was especially fulfilling, as they scored seven unanswered goals, coming back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Kings 7-2.
However, the series now shifts to L.A., and the Sharks know that the Kings are more than capable of winning a couple of games and getting themselves back in the series. It happened during the series last year, when the Kings won the first two games at home, then the Sharks responded by winning the next two in San Jose. In fact, when the Sharks and Kings match up, it’s usually the home team that comes away victorious.
In this case, though, the Sharks have obviously exposed a weakness in Quick and the Kings. The Kings were able to win in seven games last season largely because of Quick’s stellar performance in goal, but he has been less than stellar this time around. Thus, the Sharks are taking full advantage, and unless Quick can find a way to fix the problem, it may be yet another high-scoring night for San Jose.
Injury Report
Sharks: Adam Burish (hand) is out
Kings: None
Probable Lines
SAN JOSE
Forwards
Pavelski-Thornton-Burns
Marleau-Couture-Nieto
Hertl-Sheppard-Wingels
Torres-Desjardins-Brown
Defensemen
Vlasic-Boyle
Stuart-Demers
Hannan-Boyle
Goalies
Niemi
Stalock
LOS ANGELES
Fowards
Gaborik-Kopitar-Williams
Kings-Richards-Carter
Toffoli-Stoll-Brown
Clifford-Lewis-Nolan
Defensemen
Muzzin-Doughty
Regehr-Voynov
Mitchell-Martinez
Goalies
Quick
Jones
Game Info
Opening Faceoff: 7:00 PM PST
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
TV: NBCSN