Kings face elimination from the Sharks. Again.
- Updated: April 20, 2016
Considering how the last couple of games had gone Kings fans were cheering simply that Jonathan Quick didn’t let the first Sharks shot in. They did get the first couple of shots but then the Kings activated their game and got the next 7. It was a great stretch for them; lots of momentum generated by good cycles down low, big hits, lots of sustained zone time and pressure on Martin Jones. He stayed cool despite the barrage and simply waited for his team to break the Kings momentum. Which they did with three consecutive shifts and three scary looking plays on Quick. Luke Schenn broke up a particularly dangerous 2-on-1 and credit Quick for some great saves (if not slightly terrifying ones). The Kings weren’t falling down though, and followed up by almost scoring on Jones, who couldn’t find the puck in the crease. That was short-lived, as the Sharks took control for the last 7 minutes or so. A ‘good’ ping showed they were getting close, and the Kings couldn’t seem to get the puck out or a stoppage. Up in shots 7-2 to start, by 17:40 the shots were tied and in the last 2:20 the Sharks pulled out 3 more shots to the Kings 0. It wasn’t an ideal way to end a period, with some good looks from the team in teal, but none got past Quick.
The second period wasn’t the ideal way to play either, with the Sharks easily taking the game away with them. Some early scuffles after the whistle saw Jeff Carter in the penalty box, though he wasn’t the only one who deserved to be there. The Kings penalty kill, that had been so strong in game 3, faltered when Brent Burn’s slap shot went clean past Quick. The Kings had a chance almost immediately to get it back with a power play of their own, which could have been aided had a slash on Carter’s stick been called during that, but alas no 5 on 3 and they couldn’t get it done on the regular power play. Ward was called seconds later for high sticking and again, the Kings saw some good looks but none got passed Jones. (There were fewer shorthanded chances from the Sharks, so an improvement.) A delayed penalty on Rob Scuderi would prove to be the turning point, when again the Kings failed to kill the penalty. Anze Kopitar and Tanner Pearson could have had a 2 on 0 breakaway but somehow Kopitar over-skated and lost the puck, and even if he hadn’t Pearson fell over, allowing the Sharks to have a clean entry and set up their second goal easily. A third penalty for the Kings, this time to Schenn, proved not to be the fatal blow, despite Quick losing his stick and the inability to clear tiring the penalty killers.
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