Even though it was Jonathan Quick’s celebration of having played 700 games that kicked off tonight’s game, Cal Peterson earned the Los Angeles Kings their first and only victory against the San Jose Sharks this season in a 3-0 shutout.
The Kings’ defense has been obliterated over the last several games, and the call-ups performed with all of the desperation of a group fighting to stay in the playoff hunt. Meanwhile, the Sharks spent far too much of tonight’s game on the penalty kill and allowing LA to spend as much time as they wanted in the offensive zone.
You can’t win a game if you don’t score. Tomas Hertl, Timo Meier and Erik Karlsson can only do so much.
There’s not a lot of time to dwell on the mistakes of tonight, either. The team will head back to San Jose tonight, where they’ll host the Colorado Avalanche tomorrow night.
Comment of the Game
That quote is going to age worse than a glass of milk, huh?
First Period
Hey folks, sorry we all had to sit through that Jonathan Quick ceremony, hope we’re all recovered.
19:00: LA looking rough already. What a depleted roster.
18:04: Tomas Hertl line gets some offensive zone time, but don’t get to really do much with it.
16:32: Kings get a good shift in the Sharks’ zone, San Jose may have gotten away with a trip there.
15:10: Sharks aren’t doing enough to break up the Kings’ cycle.
14:47: Kings leading shots 5-0.
13:39: Sharks finally get a couple of shots on Cal Peterson, but play heads in the other direction.
12:42: Top line and Erik Karlsson with a good shift in the offensive zone.
9:21: Burns called for tripping, Kings will get the first power play.
8:22: Matt Nieto with a shorthanded attempt, Alex Iafallo crashes into him at the net, Sean Durzi was also in pursuit.
7:21: Kings’ second unit is pretty sloppy, penalty expires with just one shot on goal from Phillip Danault.
6:17: Anze Kopitar with a soft rebound shot that gets saved between Reimer’s knees.
4:50: Jacob Middleton just batted a puck out of the air with his glove in front of the net, just an incredible shot block and he was able to send it back up the slot.
3:15: Noah Gregor lost an edge in the neutral zone, nearly resulted in a turnover.
1:40: Broadcast points out its been nearly five minutes without a whistle and it definitely feels like it.
1:11: Whistle finally called on an icing.
1:00: Shots are 10-6, Kings.
0:31: Adrian Kempe rings off the post.
END FIRST: Sharks 0, Kings 0
Second Period
19:44: Trevor Moore gets called for high-sticking, the Sharks will get a much-needed power play.
18:43: Top unit is putting up shot after shot, but Peterson is strong in net.
17:44: Penalty expires, back to 5-on-5.
17:32: Alexander Barabanov tries to stop a 2-on-1 attempt, gets a penalty for slashing and breaking a stick. Sharks now on the kill.
16:47: Jaycob Megna just blocked a shot with his right leg in front of the net and is obvious pain. It takes some time before he can limp back to the bench.
16:06: Megna back out pretty quickly, that’s good.
15:32: Penalty killed.
13:52: Meier holds Quinton Byfield in the neutral zone, there’s a delayed call.
13:45: Play stops and Meier heads to the box.
13:20: It’s very funny that the Kings are driving play at 5-on-5 but suck ass on the power play.
13:03: Well, okay then. Kopitar gets one from the top of the right circle. 1-0, Kings.
10:37: A puck hit the post and the light went on, but the officials say no goal for Rudolfs Balcers (who redirected a shot from Gregor) while play continues.
8:17: Great shift from the Sharks, with Burns unable to bury a chance.
7:58: Shots evening up 15-14, Kings still ahead.
6:38: Middleton goes off for bringing down Kopitar behind the net. Not sure it’s a great call, but it gets called as a trip, regardless. Sharks to the penalty kill.
6:09: Reimer with a point-blank save.
4:38: Back to even-strength, San Jose with a really great kill. Megna is having a really great night.
3:51: Gregor has a turnover in the neutral zone, near the defensive zone blue line. Not good!
3:33: Oh, that’s one Reimer wants back. A faceoff win and Sean Durzi with a shot from the blue line that bounces off Reimer and to Danault, who buries it. Kings get a 2-0 lead.
3:09: Brutal luck here. Meier is called for puck over glass and LA is back on the power play.
1:15: Hertl with a beautiful shorthanded chance off a pass from Karlsson, but Peterson ruins it. Sharks will get an offensive zone faceoff out of the play, at least.
0:41: Delayed call, Moore is off for hooking Karlsson and the Sharks will end the period on the skater-advantage.
Sharks with a couple chances up close on Peterson, Kings get the puck out, putting a shorthanded chance on Reimer before the period winds down.
END SECOND: Sharks 0, Kings 2
Third Period
19:59: Sharks begin with just over a minute of power play time.
18:41: Penalty expires. Not the best night of special teams.
15:53: Sharks finally getting a bit of offensive zone time, but for a defense that’s half call-ups, LA is keeping pucks away from Peterson.
14:50: Jonathan Dahlen clips Rasmus Kupari (who?) with a high stick and Kupari certainly sells it, getting a power play for LA. This is a season-high six penalties for the Sharks.
14:36: Hertl with another shorthanded chance, he draws a slashing penalty against Danault and it’s 4-on-4.
13:40: Karlsson fans on a cross-slot pass from Couture, that’s rough.
12:50: Sharks get a brief power play here, but the Kings are already cycling the puck in their offensive zone.
12:36: Power play expires.
12:00: Burns with a big hit on Blake Lizotte behind the Sharks’ net.
Apologies for how rough this third period has been, my stream has decided to keep stopping and starting, it’s extremely frustrating.
5:09: Damn, Durzi really just robbed Meloche up front.
4:41: Scott Reedy takes a stick to the face, no call.
4:14: Sharks pulled ahead to a 27-25 lead in shots.
4:04: Huge save by Reimer on Austin Strand.
3:15: Meier with a shot saved by Peterson.
2:57: Kempe with the empty-netter makes it 3-0, Kings.
1:00: Shots are 29-27, Sharks leading. They’ll get an offensive zone faceoff here.
They don’t get anything going in the final minute. That’s game, folks.
FINAL SCORE: Sharks 0, Kings 3
The season series against the Los Angeles Kings wraps up tonight, and so far, the San Jose Sharks have been perfect against their oldest rival, outscoring LA 15-5 in three games. In their last meeting, the Kings have lost Dustin Brown, Andreas Athanasiou, Viktor Arvidssson and Mikey Anderson, adding to their already lengthy injured reserve. A team that had been dominate in the standings has gotten hit with a rash of injuries at a critical point in the season. With playoffs on the line, the next men up in LA have a lot on their shoulders.
Here’s everything you need to know to tune in:
Lines
SAN JOSE SHARKS
Alexander Barabanov — Tomas Hertl — John Leonard
Jonathan Dahlen — Logan Couture — Timo Meier
Andrew Cogliano — Nick Bonino — Matt Nieto
Rudolfs Balcers — Scott Reedy — Noah Gregor
Jacob Middleton — Brent Burns
Erik Karlsson — Jaycob Megna
Marc-Edouard Vlasic — Nicolas Meloche
James Reimer
Zach Sawchenko
Expected Scratches: Jonah Gadjovich, Jeffrey Viel
Injured Reserve: Adin Hill (lower body), Radim Simek (undisclosed), Mario Ferraro (lower body), Kevin Labanc (upper body)
LOS ANGELES KINGS
Alex Iafallo — Anze Kopitar — Adrian Kempe
Trevor Moore — Phillip Danault — Arthur Kaliyev
Gabriel Vilardi — Quinton Byfield — Rasmus Kupari
Carl Grundstrom — Blake Lizotte — Martin Frk
Olli Maatta — Jordan Spence
Alexander Edler — Sean Durzi
Jacob Moverare — Austin Strand
Cal Petersen
Jonathan Quick
Expected Scratches: Lias Andersson
Injured Reserve: Tobias Bjornfot (lower body), Matt Roy (lower body), Dustin Brown (upper body), Andreas Athanasiou (upper body), Drew Doughty (upper body), Mikey Anderson (upper body), Brendan Lemieux (lower body), Viktor Arvidsson (lower body)
How to Watch
Tonight’s game will be broadcast exclusively through streaming services ESPN+ and Hulu, with a required subscription. The radio call will be streamed through the Sharks Audio Network. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.
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