Sharks top Kings behind successful power play
The victory moves San Jose one win shy of advancing to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Sharks, who went 3-for-4 on the power play one game after going 0-for-5, lead the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series 3-1.
“I think the group felt last game we could have won if we cashed in on the power play,” Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer said.
San Jose’s third-period lead looked safe after Patrick Marleau scored the team’s third power-play goal of the game 1:40 into the session, and only five seconds into Kings defenseman Jamie McBain’s high stick of rookie Joonas Donskoi.
[...] Trevor Lewis touched a Luke Schenn drive from the blue line through Martin Jones, a goal that stood following a coach’s challenge for goaltender interference at 2:49.
[...] Schenn scored his second career playoff goal with another blast from the point, this one through a maze of five bodies lined up between him and a screened Jones at 6:44 — also at even strength.
Los Angeles pressured in the San Jose zone until the bitter end, but defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic made two of his game-high five blocked shots and Logan Couture had one.
“That’s the type of sacrifice you need ... to win games, and we had a lot of guys lined up to do that,” DeBoer added.
San Jose struck twice in the second period on the strength of its power play.
Defenseman Brent Burns scored his second of the series at 2:09 to break a scoreless tie.
The goal came 1:39 into Jeff Carter’s roughing penalty for taking a punch at Vlasic after the whistle.
After killing consecutive minors, the Sharks went back on the advantage and scored again with defenseman Rob Scuderi in the box for tripping Tomas Hertl at 8:42.
The Sharks put two shots on Quick, who was without his goal stick for a portion of the kill as San Jose buzzed in the Los Angeles end.
“Every night we expect if we get one chance or five chances, we’re going to score a goal,” Couture said.