The Sharks will try to finish this five-game road trip with four wins as they visit the Office Supply Center for the first time since the Kings eliminated San Jose in the playoffs earlier this year.

A lot can be said about the Kings — they’re arguably the Sharks biggest rival for reasons beyond the typical NorCal/SoCal shtick. Two heated playoff series between the clubs combined with playoff-style hockey in nearly every meeting. These two teams are pretty darn even, and that always makes for exciting games.

Still no word on whether Dan Boyle is drawing back into the lineup, though I tend to doubt it since we have not been given anything concrete yet. But knowing that Boyle, Havlat and (possibly) Burns are close to returning is reason to be optimistic.

The Kings are coming off a 3-1 loss to the Coyotes but have been their usual puck-dominating selves in the early goings of this season. Los Angeles is third in the league for 5v5 Corsi close while the Sharks come in at fourth — losing one of your best defenseman and your most explosive winger is no doubt taking its toll.

San Jose was outplayed by the Senators but they skated away with what appeared to be a convincing win against Ottawa, earning Alex Stalock his first win in the NHL. Stalock looked very serviceable, which hopefully means Antti Niemi will get the night off with more frequency as the season goes on.

I love it when the Sharks play LA — but I’m not sure there’s anything better than when the Sharks beat LA. Let’s take a look at the requisite viewing for a Sharks/Kings game.

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10-1-1, 21 points

8-5-0, 16 points

1st in Pacific

5th in Pacific

7:30PM PST | Staples Center | Los Angeles, California
TV: CSNCA-HD | Radio: SJSharks.com, 98.5 KFOX
Know Your Enemy: Jewels From The Crown