SAN JOSE – Down 2-0 after one period, the San Jose Sharks responded with seven unanswered goals over the final two periods to send the Los Angeles Kings home on the short end of a 7-2 score and a 2-0 deficit in the best-of-7 Western Conference quarter-finals Sunday night at SAP Center.
The Sharks established new franchise records with seven goals in a home playoff game and seven consecutive goals either home or away. San Jose had five consecutive playoff goals on two previous occasions.
Games Three and Four will be played on the Los Angeles ice on Tuesday and Thursday. If needed, the fifth game will be in San Jose on Saturday.
After giving up the first five goals in the series opener, Los Angeles turned the table by striking for two goals in the first period Sunday.
Defenseman Jake Muzzin netted his second goal of the series when he launched a high shot from the right point past goaltender Antti Niemi 1:51 into the first period.
While San Jose produced a 15-10 edge in shots on net in the first 20 minutes, the Kings completed the period’s scoring when Trevor Lewis redirected a centering pass from Jeff Carter at the 9:33 mark.
Despite the two-goal deficit, coach Todd McLellan said that “we liked some of the things we were doing.”
Andrew Desjardins, the center for the Sharks’ fourth line, assisted on the first two goals of the second period.
“The catalyst was Desi’s line,” said McLellan.
Mike Brown, earning his first career post-season goal, one-timed a feed from Desjardins at the top of the right circle past a screened Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick at 4:25.
After a half-minute of cycling inside the Sharks zone, the Kings allowed the Sharks to break up-ice without a line change. Desjardins controlled the puck into the Los Angeles zone before dropping a pass to Raffi Torres. The winger lined a low shot inside the left post for the equalizer at 9:04.
San Jose earned a 3-2 lead at the 14:45 mark when Justin Braun’s lofted shot from the right point sailed over Quick. The goal was Braun’s first in 19 post-season games.
“Their third and fourth lines dominated us in the second period,” said Kings coach Darryl Sutter.
The Sharks came up with three even-strength goals and one power-play goal to complete the scoring.
Patrick Marleau threaded a shot from the left circle off a cross-ice feed by Matt Nieto for the 4-2 edge 1:08 into the third.
Joe Pavelski, on the right wing in a 3-on-1 rush toward Quick, snapped a shot inside the right post at 4:07 to make it 5-2.
San Jose scored its sixth goal for the second consecutive game when Logan Couture finished a 2-on-1 break with Marleau with a shot from the low slot at 8:08.
The Sharks had a 5-on-3 power play opportunity midway through the third period. Thornton snapped a shot into the top right corner of the net at the end of a crisp four-pass play at 10:06.
“The fourth line brought this game back,” said Thornton. “Their line played great – won us the game.”
McLellan cautioned that the 13 goals in two games shouldn’t be factored into the rest of the series with the Kings.
“It’s tough to play in LA,” said McLellan. “Our game has to get better to win there. The scores are irrelevant.”
“We have to take care of our home ice,” Kings’ captain Dustin Brown said of the move to StaplesCenter.
