Fansided

San Jose Sharks Look To Close Gap On Kings

By Patrick Leiva |

The San Jose Sharks are playing their best hockey of the season, riding high with a season-best eight game point streak following an exciting 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild yesterday afternoon. Tonight, the Sharks will receive a big test as the Pacific Division leading Los Angeles Kings waltz into SAP Center.

Thus far, it’s been a heated season series between the two teams as the road team has won every game this season. San Jose opened the year with a resounding 5-1 victory on opening night, but Los Angeles responded with a 4-1 win of their own just 15 days later.

Then, these two teams squared off just before the holiday break with the Sharks claiming a huge come-from-behind victory behind the exploits of none other than Joe Pavelski.

The Kings have been the class of the division all season long, but head into this matchup riding a two-game losing streak. San Jose hopes to extend that streak as these two rivals square off for the fourth time this year.

Players to Watch

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Sharks: Joe Thornton. Thornton, who will be playing in his 800th career regular season game in teal, has been on an absolute tear of late. He carries an eight-game point streak into this one, including the lone assist on Pavelski’s game-winner yesterday. After a slow start to the year, Thornton now ranks third on San Jose with 38 points (nine goals, 29 assists).

Kings: Anze Kopitar. Kopitar recently inked a new eight-year, $80 million contract to remain in Los Angeles for the foreseeable future. He’s one of the best all-around center men in the league, and he leads the Kings offense with 40 points (13 goals, 27 assists) this season. However, the Sharks have done a nice job limiting him this year as he has failed to register a point and is a minus-four in the three earlier matchups.

Keys to the Game

1. Traffic in Front

San Jose has been successful this season against Jonathan Quick by getting bodies to the front of the net and making life difficult on the Los Angeles netminder. The Sharks have beaten Quick nine times this season and many of the goals have been on deflections or screens in front. Look for San Jose to follow a similar game plan in this one.

2. Special Teams

This game features two of the best power play units in the league with the Sharks ranking third with a conversion rate of 21.9 percent and the Kings ranking sixth at 21.1 percent. While Los Angeles ranks much better on the penalty kill (10th) than San Jose (22nd), the Sharks were able to shut down the Kings power play last time these two teams met, while finding the back of the net twice, including the eventual game-winner.

3. Narrow The Gap

San Jose has a big opportunity to close the gap to six points on Los Angeles atop the Pacific Division with a game in hand. The Sharks haven’t been that close to the Kings in the standings since their Dec. 22 victory at Staples Center. If San Jose can find a way to secure two points tonight, it will send a message to Los Angeles that the Sharks mean business as the stretch run approaches.

Next: Pavelski Downs Wild With Late Winner

TV/Radio

TV: CSN-California

Radio: 98.5 KFOX

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