Games
San Jose Sharks 4 - Los Angeles Kings 3
San Jose got the first chance of the game, but their 2-on-1 pass missed it's target. Los Angeles turned it around soon after, and ended up scoring first. Jake Muzzin's pass to the slot hit Tomas Hertl's skate and went into the net. The Kings would be handed the first penalty of the game, as Anze Kopitar went to the box for interference. It opened the door for the Sharks to tie the game. Joe Pavelski one-timed a rolling puck past Jonathan Quick, tying the game. Andre Andreoff got a breakaway chance soon after, but missed the net. The Sharks got a chance of their own soon after, as Patrick Marleau hit Melker Karlsson with a pass. Karlsson snapped it immediately, but Quick was right there to make the pad save. Vincent Lecavalier got called got hooking midway through the period, putting the Sharks back on the powerplay. This time, the Sharks powerplay could not find the back of the net. The physicality showed later in the period, highlighted by Kyle Clifford's bit hit on Tommy Wingels. The period ended with both teams tied 1-1. The Kings got a powerplay early in the second, as Marc-Eduard Vlasic was called for interference. While Lose Angeles buzzed around, they could not take advantage of it. Off an offensive zone, Brent Burns received the puck and wrist a point shot past Quick, putting San Jose in the lead. On the ensuing faceoff at centre, Joel Ward would get penalized for interference. This time, Los Angeles found the back of the net. Jeff Carter tried to pass out to the slot. The puck would deflect off Burns' stick, Paul Martin's shin, and Jones' shoulder en route to the back of the net. San Jose pressured after that, and even drew a penalty. On the delay penalty though, the Sharks were robbed of a goal, as the whistle blew before Hertl shot, negating his goal. San Jose wasn't defeated though, as they kept up the pressure on the powerplay. Drew Doughty made the save of the game on it, stacking the (shin) pads to prevent Marleau from scoring. Hooking penalties were exchanged between the two clubs, with Roman Polak going first, then Doughty minutes later. Los Angeles wasn't successful on their powerplay, but they were on their penalty kill. Trevor Lewis kept on a 2-on-1, toe-dragged Burns, and beat Jones, putting the Kings back out in front. The lead lasted 30 seconds, as Hertl banged home a loose puck to tie the game. Once again, it was deadlocked at the end of a period, with both teams tied 3-3. It didn't take long for a goal to happen in the third period. Just 17 seconds in, Pavelski scored on a wraparound attempt, and once again the Sharks were in the lead. The Kings took control after that, as they looked to tie the game. Despite this, Logan Couture had the best chance, as he deked out Quick but shot the puck wide. Clifford had the Kings best chance late, but shot the puck wide on his one-timer attempt. The Sharks hung on and won the game 4-3, putting them up 1-0 in the series.
San Jose Sharks 2 - Los Angeles Kings 1
It didn't take long for San Jose to get on the board. Three-and-a-half minutes into the period, Pavelski shot the puck over Quick's shoulder and into the net, making it 1-0 Sharks. The Kings went on the attack after that, looking to tie the game. Even with a powerplay though, Los Angeles failed to find the back of the net. San Jose got a powerplay of ther own, as Luke Schenn headed to the box for interference. They tried, but the Sharks could not extend their lead with the man advantage. San Jose had another powerplay late in the period, but again could not capitalize on it. Couture had the worst luck on the powerplay, as twice he had an open net, and twice it was blocked by Kings defenders. The first period ended with the Sharks up 1-0. The Sharks were in control for most of the early part in the second. They caught a break near the midway point, as Tyler Toffoli was called for roughing. During the delayed penalty, Lucic also committed an infraction (charging), making it a two-man advantage for San Jose once the whistle blew. The Sharks would not waste this opportunity. Pavelski's shot was stopped, but Couture was in the right spot to bury the rebound. San Jose was now up 2-0. They could not find another powerplay goal, as the Kings killed off the remaining time. Los Angeles got a powerplay of their own later on, as Matt Nieto was called for hooking. They didn't convert on it, but they still maintained control for a bit when it became even-strength. The Kings got one more powerplay before the period ended, but again failed to score. San Jose ended the second period up 2-0. The Kings started off the third well, but could not beat Jones. There was a bit of a break in play later on, as the glass was out of place and needed to be fixed. Nick Spaling was called for tripping midway trough the period, giving the Kings a powerplay. It didn't last long though, as 29 seconds later Jeff Carter was headed to the box for slashing. Los Angeles kept up their play throughout, as San Jose just looked to wind down the clock. Karlsson was called for a slash later in the period, putting the Kings on the powerplay again. Los Angeles finally broke through on it. A scramble in front of the net resulted in the puck finding Lecavalier, who had no problem beating Jones. Los Angeles had five minutes left to find a tying goal. Unfortunate for them, they could not do much in that time frame. San Jose hung on to win 2-1, taking a 2-0 series lead.
Los Angeles Kings 2 - San Jose Sharks 1 (OT)
The Sharks got off to a quick start again, this time it only too 30 seconds. Joe Thornton skated around to the high slot before releasing a shot that bounced off Brayden McNabb's skate and into the net. The night got worst for McNabb before it got better, as he was called for hooking five minutes later. The Sharks powerplay had a couple chances, but could not finish. The Kings got a powerplay soon after, as Wingels was called for hooking. It didn't take long for the Kings to capitalize on it, as Kopitar buried a pass from Lucic to tie the game. Los Angeles found themselves back on the powerplay minutes later, as Spaling was headed to the box for tripping. The Kings didn't score on that one, but they kept up the pressure for most of the period. San Jose put on the early pressure in the second, and got a powerplay as their reward. The Sharks got a few shots on net, but that was basically it, as the powerplay expired. Nine minutes into the period, Los Angeles would record their first shot of the period when Lecavalier threw a blind pass toward the net. Marian Garborik got penalized for high sticking, putting the Sharks on the powerplay once again. The Sharks powerplay was much better this time, but again ended without a goal. Los Angeles finally came alive late in the period, and started to possess the puck more. They caught break as well, with Chris Tierney getting penalized for a faceoff violation. The man advantage didn't help the Kings much, as the game remain tied 1-1 after the second period. It was back-and-forth between the two teams early in the third, as both looked for the go-ahead goal. A penalty midway through the period would swing the momentum. Lucic was called for slashing, allowing the Sharks the ability to work their powerplay magic. San Jose had no problem moving the puck with the extra man, but had a problem hitting the net. The Sharks managed just one shot in nine attempts. Minutes later, the Sharks would again find themselves on the powerplay, as Tanner Pearson was called for flipping the puck over the glass. The Kings escaped unscathed again, as they had a much better time killing this penalty. Things got a bit heated late in the third between Hertl and Dustin Brown, and after wrestling each other to the ice, they were both given roughing penalties. The remaining 54 seconds in the period was played 4-on-4, and still no goals would happen. Tied 1-1 after regulation, overtime was needed to solve this game. For an overtime between these two teams, it ended quickly. Just under four minutes into the extra frame, Pearson kept the puck on a 2-on-1 and fired it past Jones. The 2-1 overtime win gave Los Angeles their first win of the series.
Los Angeles Kings 2 - San Jose Sharks 3
The first period was a tale of two halves. The first half saw the Kings get the majority of chances and outplaying the Sharks, but could not find the back of the net. The second half saw the reverse, as the Sharks were in control for most of it. Just like the Kings though, the Sharks failed to put the puck in the net. This might have been the quickest period of the series, and it ended in fitting fashion, at a 0-0 draw. The Kings found themselves on the penalty kill 30 seconds into the period, as Carter was the only one penalized after a post-whistle scrum. It was what the Sharks needed to open the scoring. Burns one-timed a pass from Ward, and beat a Quick as he was sliding over. It wasn't long until San Jose found themselves down a man. Nieto clipped Quick behind the net, causing him to get called for tripping. Los Angeles failed to score on that powerplay. It didn't take them long to get another powerplay though, as Ward made his way to the box for high-sticking. The Kings got a couple chances, but still could not solve Jones. The Sharks would get a powerplay themselves soon after, as Rob Scuderi tripped up Hertl. San Jose's powerplay showed why it's pretty good. Pavelski went to the front of the net and finished off a tic-tac-toe play, putting the Sharks up 2-0. After a few minutes, the Kings started to build an attack. It would be derailed, as the Sharks transitioned, leading to Schenn getting called for roughing. This time, Los Angeles managed to fend off San Jose's powerplay. The period ended with the Sharks up 2-0. The start of the third was much like the start of the second for the Kings. A minute-and-a-half in, Jamie McBain was called for high-sticking. It didn't take long for the Sharks to capitalize on this one. Couture's shot was blocked and went right to Marleau, who buried it. It was the Sharks third powerplay goal of the game, which made it 3-0 for them. The Kings responded soon after, as Schenn's point shot hit Lewis on it's way into the net. It was challenged, as Lewis looked to have interfered with Jones. The goal was upheld though, and Los Angeles finally got on the scoreboard. The Kings kept up the pressure, and would be reward again. Schenn's point shot skipped a few times en route to beating a screened Jones. Los Angeles looked for the tying goal, but their efforts fell short. San Jose won 3-2, and drew within a game of winning the series.
San Jose Sharks 6 - Los Angeles Kings 3
The Sharks got off to a good start. Just over a minute in, Joonas Donskoi snapped it past a screened Quick to put San Jose ahead. The Kings had a chance to response right away, but Lecavalier's chance was stopped. Los Angeles got into penalty trouble early. First, Schenn was called for inference on Hertl, then Brown was called seconds later for tripping Jones. San Jose could not convert on their chances on the powerplay though, as it remained a one-goal game. The Sharks kept up the pressure, but could not extend their lead. Play would start shifting in the Kings favour. Despite this, it was the Sharks who would get the next goal. Tierney fired a shot that hit the post and went in, making it 2-0 San Jose. Ward would get called for tripping later in the period, giving the Kings their first powerplay of the game. Los Angeles failed to get anything going on the powerplay, not even a shot on goal. The period ended with San Jose leading 2-0. Both teams came out firing in the second, with the Kings getting most of the chances. The Sharks managed to get the first goal of the period, thanks to Nieto's tapping in the puck. The Shark had an opportunity to extend that lead just over a minute later, as Marleau was hooked on a breakaway, resulting in a penalty shot. Marleau could not convert his chance though, as Quick stopped his weak backhand attempt. Los Angeles pressured, looking to get something. They would get rewarded, as Doughty's point shot deflected off Dwight King's skate and Kopitar's shin before hitting the back of the net. Four minutes later, Los Angeles struck again. Carter received a pass in the slot and proceeded to roof the puck over Jones and into the net. San Jose started to put on the heat, wanted to re-gain a two-goal lead. The next goal would be for the Kings though. Kyle Clifford rang a shot off the post and the puck bounced right to Kris Versteeg, who had no problem finishing off the play. Celebrations would be short-lived, as Lewis was called for slashing. The Kings would kill off the penalty. The second period ended with both teams tied 3-3, making for a dramatic third period. The Kings got a good chance early on in the period, but Jones managed to cover the puck before Pearson could whack away at it. It took a couple minutes for the Sharks to register a shot in the period, but that made it count. Burns tucked the puck over to Donskoi, who beat the outstretched glove of Quick. The Kings were still on the attack though, as they now had to search for a tying goal. The Sharks had a good counter attack though. Midway through the period, Pavelski skated down the wing, faked a slap shot, and wristed one by Quick. The Kings were playing desperate now, even pulling Quick for the extra attacker with four minutes remaining. Their efforts would go unrewarded. Karlsson scored on the empty net to seal the game. San Jose won 6-3, eliminating Los Angeles in five games and moving on to the second round.
Three Thoughts on the Series
- Figures, the one time the Sharks decide to finish them off had to be only five games. Everyone wanted seven.
- That being said, I'm hopping on the Sharks bandwagon once again (discards prediction about Kings winning series, pre-writes apology note for Sharks fans when the team loses next round).
- Joel Ward is awesome.
Vinny is expected to retire now that his team is done.
Bonus: Kings mascot Bailey trying to help a ref out.
Highlight of the Series
Donskoi helps the Sharks beat their demons, winning the series on this goal.
No comments:
Post a Comment