While the rest of the Los Angeles Kings disappears on occasion, Jeff Carter has managed rare inconsistency in LA. On Saturday, Carter picked up his 20th goal of the year in a 3-2 win over the visiting San Jose Sharks.
Jeff Carter – file photo by Lewis Bleiman
Brent Burns and Kevin Labanc scored for the Sharks who were playing their second game in two nights and looked sluggish throughout the contest.
“As poorly as we played at times, it was a game that we found ourselves at the end of the third period feeling like we could win,” Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said. “It was a game where not everybody had their best and we needed to be a lot better. We knew we were facing a desperate team, and it was a frustrating night.”
The decision ended a three-game slide by the Kings and snapped a four-game streak the Sharks were riding.
“We showed a lot of perseverance, focus and all of that stuff after a tough month with everything to do with the schedules,” Kings head coach Darryl Sutter said.
Tanner Pearson and Drew Doughty scored for the Kings.
“They were desperate, and they needed the win. We knew that, and we were ready. We talked about there was going to be a push early, and there was. I thought we handled it, and then we found a way to get ourselves back in the game. There’s no doubt the better team won tonight,” San Jose head coach Peter DeBoer said afterwards.
WATCH: All Sharks vs. Kings highlights
Peter Budaj faced only 20 shots in the win and stopped 18.
Martin Jones made 24 saves in the loss.
“The key thing is getting the first one and not chasing a lead right after you start. It’s nice to be home again. Teams have to come in here and know what they’re getting,” Pearson said.
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