Kings Tie Season Series with Sharks

I still miss Martin Jones and I’m not ashamed of it. It’s hard to see him in a Sharks jersey. And sad to see how many Sharks fans do the Shark Chomp here. That will never not make me sad. But the rivalry is usually entertaining, and tonight was no exception. Considering neither team really has anything to lose – the Sharks have clinched and the Kings have done the opposite – it was injuries and emotion that fueled the outcome of the game. The Kings finally came to play, at least to start. They had the first three shots on goal in the first three minutes, Clifford with a nice bid Jones shut down but I’m consistently this season impressed with Clifford’s improved skating and stick handling. In fact, the Kings had the shots practically to themselves for over 17 minutes, during which the Sharks seemed to be focusing instead on the extracurricular activities after the whistle. There were quite a few scuffles between players – to be expected between these teams. But Brown was the one who really made them hurt when he did a no-look pass to Jones’ right that ended up sliding straight past him into the net 5:19 in. They challenged – Iafallo was a good screen – but didn’t succeed. Jones didn’t let it get to him, nor the 12 shots the Kings took to the Sharks 3. It was so lopsided I was convinced the Kings were just about to do something stupid; after all, for over 17 minutes they’d dominated play, so it was about time they gave up a dumb goal. I was right: Goodrow at 17:33 deflecting Vlasic’s shot. For the next 2:27 (wow it felt so much longer) the Sharks slayed it, practically skating circles around the Kings and getting under their skin. Dillon and Wagner finally picked on each other enough they were both called for slashing with less than 2 to go…

… so the second started 4-on-4. As usual, the second wasn’t full of the Kings finest moments. There were some extremely dangerous shifts before Quick, so it was only a matter of time – 3:45 to be exact – that one of them would end up converted. It was Hertl, snapping a Burns rebound into the back of the net, followed by groans from Kings fans and a few too many cheers considering the Sharks don’t live here. It looked like the Kings were outplaying them on the stats board – more shots, more block, more hits, and more breakaways. But it sure didn’t look like it. Honestly, it was hard to tell either team was any good but the Sharks definitely had more quality chances and more confident play. That’s not to say that Quick was going particularly well; he did have one impressive save on a Meier breakaway but otherwise, the whole defensive zone was kind of meh. When it counted, however, once Jeff Carter took a penalty, they were timely and effective. At least that’s one area they’ve been working on. Toffoli and Roy could have even combined for a shorthanded goal if it was the Toffoli of 2014 not the Toffoli of this one. Mercifully the second ended with only the one-goal deficit, but the Kings would need to step it up if they were going to stand a chance of getting past Jones.

It didn’t look good for a while. Almost half a period was more of the same. And if it kept up it wasn’t gonna happen. It also didn’t help that Leipsic suffered a lower-body injury early into the third and didn’t return. The Kings were already rolling 11/7 so they were down more forwards than I was comfortable with. Enter Roy (and of course Brown with the screen) who’s first NHL goal tied the Kings 9:28 into the third. He slapped it from the point and it careened past everyone into the back of the net. 2:17 later, miracle of miracles – Kopitar scored the go-ahead goal! It was unexpected; most of us figured it’d end in a shootout. But Kopitar did something I have dearly missed – stick handled so beautifully Jones couldn’t tell where or when he was going to release the puck and wristed it behind while Jones leaned the wrong way. It was stunning. And more surprising – the Kings *kept the lead.* I know. I wasn’t expecting it either. Martinez made it that much more difficult when he deflected the puck over the glass with 3:02 to go and you know when’s the best time NOT to take the WORST PENALTY IN THE GAME? When it’s a ONE GOAL GAME and you have THREE MINUTES LEFT. Geez. Once the Sharks pulled Jones they had 6-on-4 and things looked hairy: until Jeff Carter made the empty net. Phew! I know I know, lose for Hughes, all that jazz, but it’s the Sharks. Totally worth it.