Kings lose Game 3 in overtime to Sharks, 2-1
Overtime
Sharks center Logan Couture blasts a shot from about 10 feet past Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick on a power play 1:29 into overtime to give San Jose a 2-1 win in Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinal series on Saturday night at HP Pavilion.
The Kings began overtime down two men because of penalties late in the third period. Moments after getting one man back onto the ice, the Sharks work the puck into the corner, then a pass goes to winger Patrick Marleau to the left of Quick.
Marleau quickly centers the puck into the slot to Couture, who takes aim and beats Quick.
The game includes 75 hits in regulation, 41 by the Sharks.
The Kings successfully kill the Sharks 5-on-3 advantage for 1:19 to start overtime with center Anze Kopitar and defensemen Rob Scuderi and Drew Doughty beginning play on the ice.
Couture misses a chance to follow a shot by defenseman Dan Boyle, then Quick blocks another attempt. Kings center Mike Richards steals a pass to ease the pressure for a few moments.
After Boyle misses another shot, the Kings appear to be in better shape when one man comes out of the penalty box. Moments later, Couture fires the winner top shelf to the left of Quick.
The Kings lead the best-of-seven series two games to one. Game 4 is Tuesday night in San Jose.
Third period
The Kings continue to be met by a physical front when they venture into the Sharks’ end. Less than a minute left in regulation, some shoving during a stoppage.
San Jose forward Tommy Wingels crosses and misses a chance at the top of the crease as Kings defenseman Robyn Regehr is called for hooking Wingels with 42 seconds left.
A big shot by Sharks center Logan Couture is kicked away by Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick, and he stops an effort by defenseman Dan Boyle as wel.
Kings center Trevor Lewis, who scored the winning goal in the final minute of Game 2 on Thursday night, darts into the Sharks zone on a short-handed effort, but hits goalie Antti Niemi and an interference penalty is called, giving San Jose a two-man advantage with 4.5 seconds left that’ll extend into overtime.
The Kings control the face-off and regulation ends in a 1-1 tie, with San Jose getting a two-man advantage for more than a minute to start overtime.
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A Kings penalty for slashing is called on captain Dustin Brown with 5:16 left as Sharks center Joe Pavelski’s stick is broken in half.
San Jose center Logan Couture and Kings center Mike Richards continue some hostilities -- verbally.
Kings forward Jeff Carter made a short-handed rush at Sharks goaltender Antti Niemi but couldn’t find a clean shot.
Kings forwards Trevor Lewis and Anze Kopitar play interference, a charge by Sharks center Scott Gomez goes for naught. The power play is killed.
Less than three minutes left.
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Less than eight minutes remain in regulation and the score is still tied, 1-1.
Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick has been stellar with 33 saves.
Sharks center Joe Pavelski tried a run at Quick, but was roughed up on the way toward the net. San Jose left winger Patrick Marleau then roughed up Quick when circling the crease.
Sharks goalie Antti Niemi covers up a bouncing shot, and there’s time out ont he ice with 5:31 remaining in regulation.
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Sharks goaltender Antti Niemi saves a shot from his left side by Kings defenseman Slava Voynov and gloves another with 12:58 left in the third period of Game 3 on Saturday night at HP Pavilion.
A shot by Kings defenseman Drew Doughty then deflects high off Niemi.
San Jose center Joe Thornton tries a shot against Kings goalie Jonathan Quick, but it’s high and wide right, leaving the Sharks captain without a goal in the series.
On the bench, the Kings are breathing heavily as the seconds tick under 10 minutes left in regulation.
San Jose defenseman Brent Burns had a good look at the goal but his shot was stopped by the stick of Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi.
The Sharks did a shift change and defenseiman Brad Stuart fired a clean shot that was high of the net. A shot by San Jose defenseman Dan Boyle was deflected out of play by Kings winger Dustin Brown.
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Through two periods, Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick has stopped 27 of 28 shots in Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinal series against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night in HP Pavilion.
King defenseman Drew Doughty has played more than 18 minutes in the heading into the third period.
The first chance to score in the third period is San Jose’s, but Quick knocks away efforts by forwards Joe Thornton and Scott Gomez as the four-on-four time elapses.
Sharks forward Joe Pavelski sends inside to make things perilous for Quick, but the danger passes. San Jose center Andrew Desjardins can’t follow a pass to the post from behind the net by Gomez.
A hard shot by Sharks defenseman Brad Stuart is knocked down by a Kings defenseman.
The Kings are struggling to get a good run at Sharks goalie Antti Niemi, who stopped 17 of 18 shots in the first and second periods.
But then Kings left wing Dustin Penner finds a good chance off a pass from center Brad Richardson but it’s denied.
The shots on goal are 32-22 in favor of San Jose.
Second period
Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick makes a sprawling, sensational save to stop a shot by Sharks center Andrew Desjardins, and a shot by San Jose defenseman Brent Burns is deflected inside of five minutes left in the second period of Game 3 on Saturday night.
Desjardins is beside himself after that missed chance, shaking his head in disgust to teammates on the bench.
Quick then tipped away a Burns shot and a cross by Sharks center Joe Thornton.
The Sharks have outshot the Kings 13-7 in this period so far.
Kings center Anze Kopitar flicked away another strong Sharks’ charge toward Quick. The Kings have been back on their heels in the second half of this period, and now San Jose center Logan Couture is back from his injury absence with 1:13 left in the period.
The Kings don’t mind too much, either. Couture is 0-for-5 on face-offs.
Kings center Mike Richards and Sharks center Scott Gomez fight along the boards, prompting a stoppage. Both men are penalized, setting up a four-on-four situation.
The horn comes, and it’s still a 1-1 game after two periods. A quick look at the numbers: the Sharks have outshot the Kings, 28-18, and have outhit them, 37-26. The Kings have made 17 blocks compared to 14 for San Jose.
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A pass inside by San Jose center Scott Gomez was deflected by teammate Tommy Wingels and Kings goalie Jonathan Quick was forced to make a save. The Sharks have 19 shots on goal to the Kings’ 15 midway through the second period of Game 3 in their Western Conference semifinal series.
Make it 21 shots as Quick wraps up a shot by Sharks defenseman Justin Braun.
San Jose defenseman Brent Burns and Kings’ leading playoff scorer defenseman Slava Voynov collide in a big way. Quick withstands another scrum near the crease.
Kings Coach Darryl Sutter said he’s pleased with the defense against Sharks captain Joe Thornton’s line, as his team started a power play that was the result of roughing on San Jose defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic for hitting Kings center Dustin Brown at the boards.
The Kings patiently passed until defensman Drew Doughty forced a shot that briefly got away from Sharks goalie Antii Niemi before he covered it with 59 seconds left in the power play.
The Sharks then killed the penalty.
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The Kings were still on a power play for 19 more seconds to start the second period of Game 3 on Saturday night thanks to Sharks defenseman Brent Burns’ tripping penalty late in the first.
Sharks defenseman Scott Hannan banged his face on the boards, left the ice and heading to the dressing room just before the penalty was killed off.
King goaltender Jonathan Quick shoved away a deceptive shot by Sharks forward Joe Pavelski.
Kings center Anze Kopitar returned the favor, with Sharks goalie Antti Niemi pushing it away with his left glove.
The Sharks’ intensity -- and desperation -- is revealed in their 24-12 lead in hits.
A charge toward the net by Kings forward Jeff Carter and shot was gloved by Niemi with 16:43 left in the period. Carter shoved Sharks center Logan Couture, who appeared to hurt his left leg and left hand, eventually departing the ice.
The Sharks intercepted a Kings pass near Quick, but couldn’t get a shot past the goalie.
The San Jose crowd is quieting as the Kings’ defense tightens.
First period
Kings goalie Jonathan Quick could only watch and wait as Sharks forward Joe Thornton crept in from the right, received a pass and hit the outside of the net with a shot.
The HP Pavilion crowd roared after Sharks defenseman Brad Stuart’s big shoulder-to-shoulder hit on Kings winger Justin Williams sent him into the boards. The Kings still worked the puck down ice and got two shots off, forcing face-offs in front of San Jose goalie Antti Niemi’s net.
San Jose winger T.J. Galiardi’s shot with 2:06 left was gloved by Quick, and the goalie then blocked two shots and a follow by defenseman Brent Burns.
The game’s intrensity picked up as Burns was whistled for a tripping penalty with 1:35 left.
San Jose knocked Kings forward Jeff Carter to the ice during the ensuing power play, and the Kings couldn’t score by the time seconds elapsed.
End of first: Kings 1, Sharks 1.
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Sharks Coach Todd McLellan called the errant pass “a mistake,†the type that “L.A. capitalizes†on with consistency.
San Jose’s Patrick Marleau and Kings captain Dustin Brown then traded good shots that were stopped by opposing goalies. A shot by Justin Williams was gloved by Sharks goalie Antti Niemi with 6:11 left in the first period.
Kings goalie Jonathan Quick opted to do the same when Dan Boyle fired a shot at him with less than five minutes before intermission.
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The Sharks continued their physical start, taking a shot at Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick as he swept a puck from behind the net while the raucous arena worked to bother the Kings, who’ve been 13-4 on the road. San Jose’s Tommy Wingels also hit Kings center Tyler Toffoli.
The Kings then were hit with a tripping penalty against Jeff Carter with 12:08 left in the first period. Quick knocked down a Patrick Marleau shot. Pavelski’s shot was clipped by the Kings’ Brad Richardson, letting the Kings successfully killed off the power play.
Seconds later, with 9:52 left in the period, Toffoli intercepted a pass and fired a backhanded wrist shot past San Jose goalie Antti Niemi to make it 1-1.
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The Sharks are hopeful to get a first goal from captain Joe Thornton, with just one assist in the series, and Joe Pavelski, whod oesn’t have a point in the series, as Game 3 is underway.
Thornton told NBC Sports he informed his team it needs to “work as hard as you can†tonight.
Kings defenseman Jake Muzzin picked up a quick penalty 90 seconds into the game for flipping the puck over the glass, and Thornton then shielded Kings goalie Jonathan Quick as Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle fired a shot past Quick for a 1-0 lead six seconds later.
Pregame
The Kings look to take a commanding 3-0 series lead over the San Jose Sharks tonight at HP Pavilion, and The Times will provide live updates throughout the Western Conference semifinal playoff game that begins soon in San Jose.
The defending Stanley Cup champions stunned the Sharks Thursday night at Staples Center, as Dustin Brown and Trevor Lewis scored power-play goals within a 22-second span in the game’s final two minutes to claim a 4-3 victory.
Right after the loss, Sharks captain Joe Thornton said hopefully he believed his teammates would need just 10 minutes to set aside the demoralizing loss as they return to home ice.
San Jose was 17-2-5 at home during the regular sseason and eliminated third-seeded Vancouver in four games with two more home victories.
The Times’ Helene Elliott reported earlier in San Jose Saturday that Sharks forward Joe Pavelski said, “We know we have to take care of business at home. We need this one. This is the one we need right now and it’s the only one that matters because that is a huge difference.â€
Pavelski said the Kings’ late rally Thursday “was a tough loss. But you rebound. You understand it’s a series. It’s the playoffs. Just because it’s a tough loss doesn’t mean we’re not going to come ready to work. And that’s been our main focus down the stretch: establish our work ethic and compete and skate, do all those little hard things that make you successful.â€
Pavelski said the Sharks did a number of things right in Game 2 that they hope to continue.
“We went to the net pretty hard and aggressive and guys shot the puck hard and we found some holes that way,†he said. “And second chances went in for us. Those were some of the good areas. Faceoffs were good, too.â€
The Sharks won 44 of 65 faceoffs, or 68%, in Game 2.
Veteran defenseman Dan Boyle noted that the Kings had rallied from an 0-2 deficit to win their first-round series against the St. Louis Blues, so a comeback by the Sharks in this series is not being dismissed.
“I think for the first two games we’ve done a lot of good things,†Boyle said. “Aside from winning, I think our effort’s been pretty good. Our battle level, everything’s been pretty good.â€
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Kings hope Game 2 comeback sets tone
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