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Flat Sharks still beat
LA
SJ generates enough scoring to take 3-1 win over
Kings
The big question after their stunning win over the
Tamp Bay Lighting on Saturday, was which Sharks team would show up on Monday
night against the Los Angeles Kings. The feared letdown made an appearance, but
the Kings are so bad that the Sharks were able to generate enough scoring to
hold off Los Angeles for a 3-1 win.
That flat was evident from the get
go. San Jose struggled to keep the puck on their tape, or complete passes that
established any flow. San Jose would out-shoot the Kings 12-7 in the opening
period, but they would not record a shot in the first 6 minutes of the 2nd
period.
Joonas Donskoi staked the Sharks to a 1-0 lead with 2:17
remaining in the opening period, punching home a rebound from the doorstep.
Erik Karlsson tried to dump the puck diagonally across the Kings zone, but when
Los Angeles forward Dustin Brown tried to block the puck with his skates, the
puck deflected right to Evander Kane on the left side. Kane tried a quick shot
that Kings goaltender Jack Campbell stopped, but the puck bounced right to
Donskoi for the put back shot.
Anze Kopitar tied the game 3:43 into
the 2nd period after he gained inside position on Karlsson and pushed the puck
past Martin Jones. Kopitar left a drop pass for Brown as the two crossed paths
at the Sharks blueline. Brown lured defenseman Brendan Dillon over to the right
side, allowing Kopitar to slip past Karlsson for the tip in chance.
In
typical Sharks-Kings style, the two teams mixed it up on several occasions
throughout the game, but Dion Phaneuf and Barclay Goodrow emphasized their
dislike for each other with an entertaining scrum.
Tomas Hertl helped
San Jose regain the lead at the 9:09 mark when he carried the puck up the right
side and lifting a backhand shot over Campbell's left shoulder for his 15th
goal of the season. Karlsson was credited with the primary assist after he hit
Hertl with a lead pass up ice. Sharks goaltender Martin Jones was credited with
the secondary assist on the play.
The Kings made things significantly harder for
themselves late in the game when they took a penalty for too many men with 2:20
to play. They would pull Carpenter with 40 seconds to play, just to match the
Sharks skater count on the ice.
The Sharks gift wrapped a chance for
the Kings to tie the game when Tyler Toffolil intercepted the puck in the
Sharks zone. He had the chance to skate uncontested to the Sharks net, but he
immediately tried passing the puck to Brendan Liepsic in the slot, but the pass
was slightly behind its mark.
Joe Thornton ended all doubts when he
threw a 90 foot shot into the open net for his 7th goal of the season. Karlsson
earned his third primary assist of the night on the goal.
Game
Notes:
* Erik Karlsson became the 6th defenseman in NHL history to
register at least one assist in 13 consecutive games. Paul Coffey holds the NHL
Record for defensemen with an assist in 17 straight games.
* The
announced attendance was 15,447 which equates to more than two thousand empty
seats. While not surprising for a Monday night, which was also competing with
the NCAA Football National Championship Game in Santa Clara, having so many
empty seats against their biggest rival is evidence that the Sharks have a
problem.
* Evander Kane led all skaters with 6 shots on net.
* The Kings were surprisingly tempered when it came to doling out hits. Los
Angeles only recorded 16 shots on goal.
* The Sharks have a quick
turnaround, as they will play the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night on home ice.
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Feeder Forums |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| LA |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
| SJ |
1 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
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| 1st period - 1, SJ,
Donskoi 11 (Kane, E. Karlsson), 17:43. |
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| 2nd period - 2, LA,
Kopitar 11 (Brown), 3:42. 3, SJ, Hertl 15 (E. Karlsson, Jones), 9:09. |
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| 3rd period - 4, SJ,
Thornton 7 (E. Karlsson), 19:39, (pp)(en). |
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| 1st period - Muzzin, LA
(tripping), 10:17. |
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| 2nd period - Hagelin, LA
(roughing), 17:18. |
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| 3rd period - Bench, LA
(too many men), 17:40. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| LA - Campbell |
28 |
26 |
| LA - empty net |
1 |
0 |
| SJ - Jones |
23 |
22 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| LA |
7 |
10 |
6 |
23 |
| SJ |
12 |
10 |
7 |
29 |
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| Referees: Watson,
Rehman. Linesmen: Devorski, Cameron. |
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