SAN JOSE – Jonathan Quick made 39 saves and the Los Angeles Kings shook off a brief deficit in the second period to record a 5-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks in the decisive Game 7 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs Wednesday night.
San Jose’s Antti Niemi turned back 25 shots before being pulled for an extra skater in the game’s final two minutes. Los Angeles padded its lead with empty-net goals by captain Dustin Brown and Tanner Pearson.
The Kings finished the series with two victories in four tries at HP Pavilion. Los Angeles opens the second round against rival Anaheim on Saturday on the Ducks’ ice.
“We were trying to win a series against a team with home ice,” said Kings coach Darryl Sutter. “We finally caught them.”
Coming off three consecutive losses, the Sharks were able to score the first goal Wednesday.
Matt Irwin, pressed into duty after the injury to defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic, snapped a shot from the high slot inside the right post as a screened Quick reacted too late. Irwin’s first post-season goal came at the 28 second mark. Tomas Hertl and James Sheppard garnered the assists.
The Sharks’ lead lasted for 4:29. San Jose was called for two penalties, leaving Los Angeles with a 5-on-3 edge for six seconds. Tommy Wingels came out of the penalty box to leave it 5-on-4, just in time for extended pressure on the San Jose defense to end with Drew Doughty’s shot from the left dot over a prone Niemi at the 4:57 mark.
Anze Kopitar produced the tie-breaking goal with 1:21 left in the second period.
Justin Williams sparked the scoring play when he controlled the puck toward the right corner of the offensive zone. The right wing was able to pull a pass toward the slot as an advancing Kopitar accepted the puck and lifted it past Niemi.
“We gave up an out-numbered rush,” said San Jose coach Todd McLellan. “The goal at the end of the second period really hurt.”
The Kings turned another odd-man rush into a 3-1 lead with 4:50 gone in the third period. Pearson, playing in his sixth post-season game, sped toward the left corner of San Jose’s zone before dropping the puck to Tyler Toffoli. The 22-year-old moved toward the net and found the top right corner of the net for his third goal of the series.
“We were awful off the rush and they weren’t,” concluded McLellan. “We were never able to fix it.”
San Jose managed a 14-9 edge in shots on net in the scoreless first period. Los Angeles earned the only power play of the period on a Dan Boyle high-stick but had to settle for three shots in the two minutes with the advantage.
“It’s very unfortunate – a missed opportunity,” said Boyle. “It wasn’t for lack of effort. We had some chances.”
The Sharks could not take advantage of six power-play opportunities.
“This is as low as it’s been for me,” McLellan said of the first-round exit.
