Share

San Jose Sharks expected to face Marian Gaborik, and they did

Logan Couture also scored for the Sharks, who largely dominated their California rivals for long stretches of their second straight road victory. Only time will tell but it can be said for sure, the Sharks are a risky team and should not be taken lightly by the Kings or any other teams they may face in the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs!!!! Three-and-a-half minutes into the game, “Jumbo” Joe Thornton’s surge pulled the puck into the LA end, then he laid the puck off to Joe Pavelski, in the high-slot. There’s somebody’s power play last night that was probably 30 percent, if there’s no penalties tonight, you know what? Tavares was the one who evened things at 3-3, while Okposo scored the goal that finally put them in the lead.

Advertisement

This is familiar territory: The Sharks went up 3-0 on Los Angeles in the first round in 2014, only to blow the entire lead when the Kings roared back.

The Sharks got a 5-on-3 opportunity in the second period and quickly took advantage of it. Thirty seconds after Tyler Toffoli and Lucic Milan were sent to the box for roughing and charging, respectively, Couture made it 2-0, rebounding a miss by Pavelski and burying a wrist shot for his first goal of the playoffs on a power play at 8:44 of the second.

DeBoer didn’t say whether he would make any lineup changes for Saturday’s game as he continues to make evaluations and the players deal with bumps and bruises. That doesn’t always translate to better goaltending, of course, but feeling confidence in the player between the pies is a relief for a fanbase that has good reason to distrust its goalie. You need great goaltending, special teams.

The Kings really took the game to San Jose, but petty penalties – Luke Schenn’s Interference on Tomas Hertl and Dwight Kings’ Roughing against Roman Polak – really pegged back the building momentum.

San Jose was quick to tie things up, doing so on their first power play of the evening when Joe Pavelski beat Jonathan Quick.

No doubt that the next game will come with some extra heat from the LA Kings, but if the Sharks can keep up their strong resolve, patient and cool-headed play, they should conquer the Kings on home ice. That s given the rivalry has grown a new dimension. “That’s what this team does”. The Kings look to avoid falling into a 3-0 hole versus San Jose for the second time in three years when they visit the Sharks in Game 3 on Monday.

Former Kings goalie, Martin Jones, was sensational in net again as he made 25 saves, earning his second win of the series. “They scored on their first shot”. Thursday marked Nieto’s first game since March 17, when he fractured a knuckle on his right hand blocking a shot in a game against Arizona. Center Anze Kopitar, their top scorer with 74 points, has one assist so far. We have to improve and get better to match that….

The San Jose Sharks set a franchise record when posting the best road record in the National Hockey League during the regular season, and they continued their success away from home in their playoff opener.

The Ducks and Kings both won championships, Sutter said. An admirable push near the end gives some hope for game 2. The Slovak scorer had a phenomenal postseason in 2014, contributing 14 goals on the way to his first Stanley Cup title.

“We’re beating ourselves out there”, Gaborik said. “But we know we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us”.

Advertisement

Martin Jones might have been a little lucky Saturday night. Despite the chippiness that exists between these two teams, the Sharks continually refused to engage the Kings in any post-whistle extracurriculars. Sutter said McBain was the Kings’ best defenseman in Game 2, and Gaborik was their best forward….

Joe Pavelski Muscled The Sharks To A Series Lead