SAN
JOSE – A fourth consecutive victory was the result Friday night
when Ryane Clowe’s goal in the fourth round of the shootout lifted
the San Jose Sharks past the Los Angeles Kings 2-1 at sold-out HP
Pavilion.
After the first
three rounds of the shootout went by without a goal, Clowe snapped
a forehand shot inside the left post for his 10th career
shootout-deciding goal. Antti Niemi stopped Mike Richards’ attempt
at a tie to secure the win.
“We were happy
with our effort,” Clowe said. “We competed hard.”
The win kept San
Jose atop the Pacific Division with 41 points. Los Angeles (37)
left the ice with one point, moving to within two points of
third-place Phoenix in the division.
San
Jose has a 2-1 edge in the season series over Los Angeles. The
Sharks play Los Angeles three times in the final 10 games of the
season, including a home-and-home to end the
year.
San
Jose completes the six-game homestand with games against Anaheim
Monday and Vancouver Wednesday. The Sharks visit Vancouver Jan. 2
and Anaheim Jan. 4.
“They are a very
good defensive team,” San Jose coach Todd McLellan said of the
Kings. “We expected a tight game. The whole game, both goaltenders
were very sharp.” The first period produced no scoring and only 12
shots on net. The second period finished with a 1-1 tie.
Logan Couture,
coming off a two-goal effort Wednesday in the 7-2 Sharks win over
Tampa Bay, recorded his team-high 15th goal at the 7:53 mark.
Couture helped Patrick Marleau control the puck at the left corner
of the Kings zone before moving to the top of the left circle.
Clowe’s feed from the sideboards was one-timed by Couture past
goaltender Jonathan Quick’s glove.
The Kings
converted their fourth power play of the night to pull even at 1-1
with 18:52 gone in the second period.
Couture went to
the box for interfering with Los Angeles captain Dustin Brown at
17:55. San Jose, with the same four skaters for the 57 seconds, was
overloaded to the left side of the ice when Anze Kopitar shook free
of the defense and slide a pass to an unmarked Mike Richards at the
right dot. After stopping the puck with his right skate, Richards
lined a low shot inside the far post for his team-leading 13th goal
of the season.
Darryl Sutter,
three days into the head-coaching position for the Kings said he,
“was fine with the effort. We scored a power play goal, our penalty
killing did a heck of a job and at the end of the day it was left
to the two goalies.”
Niemi finished
with 28 saves in earning his 15th victory of the year. San Jose
goes into the Christmas break seven points behind Western
Conference-pacing Chicago.
