STOCKTON, Calif. – The San Jose Sharks will move on to round 2, after eliminating the Los Angeles Kings in game five with a 6-3 win at Staples Center.
Sharks Martin Jones – File Photo by Jack Lima
The Sharks scored their first three goals and led the Kings early in the game, but in the second period, the Kings turned up the heat and scored three unanswered goals.
Only 1:08 into the first period, Joonas Donskoi scored the first of his two goals off a pass from Logan Couture. Donskoi wristed the puck in the net from the center of the circles, past Jonathan Quick. The Sharks earned goal number two at 11:21, when Chris Tierney took the puck from the neutral zone and skated towards the net, dropping it from center circle beating Quick in the net.
Matt Nieto scored the lone Sharks goal of the second period at 4:05, then the rest of the period belonged to the Kings. The first Kings goal, came when Drew Doughty’s shot deflected off of traffic on the way to the net, and Anze Kopitar dropped it in the net past Martin Jones. Less than four minutes later, the Kings’ Jeff Carters hesitation in front of the net, then a quick wrist shot scored from the crease, Kris Versteeg scored the equalizer at 16:36, making this a brand new game.
Joonas Donskoi – File Photo by Jack Lima
The third period, the sharks Donskoi scored the go-ahead goal with assists by Brent Burns and Couture. Two more goals in the period, Joe Pavelski scored at 12:24 when his shot went five-hole against Quick. The Kings pulled Quick with just over three minutes remaining, but Jones blocked all attempts. The final empty net goal at 19:38 off the stick of Melker Karlsson, his first ever post-season game, sealed the Kings’s doom.
The Sharks will advance to round 2, and will face the winner of the Ducks and Predators, who are tied at 2 games each and will play game five Saturday evening.
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