SAN JOSE
– The San Jose Sharks extended their current hot streak to
18-0-1-1 in the past 20 games by topping the Los Angeles Kings 5-2
in the home finale at sold-out HP Pavilion.
SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks extended their current hot streak to 18-0-1-1 in the past 20 games by topping the Los Angeles Kings 5-2 in the home finale at sold-out HP Pavilion.
Already assured of the Pacific Division title, San Jose moved to 108 points with two road games left. The Sharks play at Los Angeles Thursday, then close out the 82-game campaign with an Sunday afternoon date with the Dallas Stars. The Kings clinched the cellar spot in the conference with their 42nd loss.
Unless Detroit loses its final three games in regulation and San Jose sweeps its final two, the Sharks will take a second seed into the Western Conference Stanley Cup Playoffs beginning next week.
There are five teams with potential to finish in seventh place and earn a spot in San Jose next week. Dallas, Colorado, Calgary, Vancouver and Nashville each may garner seventh. Chicago clings to playoff hopes but can finish no higher than eighth.
The Sharks mustered a 13-3 edge in shots on net in a first period and finished with one goal.
San Jose’s Mike Grier scored with 10.6 seconds to play in the period. Patrick Rismiller ripped a shot from the top of the right circle that rookie Kings goalie Erik Ersberg kicked back. Grier was in position at the edge of the right circle to whip a shot inside the right post for his ninth goal of the year, a 1-0 San Jose cushion.
The scoring pace quickened in the second 20 minutes with each team scoring twice.
The Kings pulled even at 1-1 with a short-handed goal from Patrick O’Sullivan 57 seconds into the period.
Captain Patrick Marleau gave San Jose a 2-1 edge with a goal at 2:03.
Los Angeles appeared to intercept a Sharks pass in the Kings zone, but Jeremy Roenick was able to whip the loose puck into the slot for a Marleau one-timer from 20 feet out, his 18th goal of the year.
The Kings moved into a tie a second time. Winger Raitis Ivanans, who was involved in a fight with Jody Shelley in the first period, jabbed a pass from behind the Sharks net from Alexander Frolov past goalie Evgeni Nabokov at the 6:46 mark.
Joe Thornton collected his 300th point as a Shark when he pulled a pass across the Kings crease that Milan Michalek deposited in the net for a 3-2 Sharks lead at 14:06 of the second.
Shelley picked up his sixth assist of the year with a nifty pass through his legs to Curtis Brown, setting up Brown’s fifth goal of the season at 16:30 of the third period. The play resulted in ruining a Los Angeles break-out from the defensive zone. Shelley’s feed came from the blueline and allowed Brown to skate to the slot unmarked before slapping a hard shot into the top left corner of the net.
“We had a good forecheck and when you do that the other team is uncomfortable,” said Brown. “Jody made a good pass between his legs and I was able to beat the goalie.”
The Sharks completed the scoring when Brian Campbell drilled his eighth goal of the year from the right circle during a 5-on-3 power play with 1:01 left.
“We work extremely hard in practice and it carries over to the game,” said Thornton of the six-week domination. “We’re on a great run and we’re staying pretty positive. I truly believe it’s going to continue in the post-season. It’s contagious.”
