Post Game: That's all for tonight, folks. Thanks for sticking around, and have a great end to the weekend!
Post Game: This was not the game two anyone anticipated. After a strong first period performance from the Kings, they appeared to be in the driver's seat. Then the Sharks came out of the locker room for period two, scored, and never looked back. By the time it was all over, the Sharks cruised to a 7-2 victory. Seven straight goals highlighted a terrific comeback by San Jose, allowing them to head to Los Angeles with a 2-0 lead in this best of seven series.
From a Sharks Perspective: Great team win. After a first period that found them down 2-0, they overcame the defecit and scored seven straight. Their fourth liners, normally looked at for their checking and defsensive abilities, lead the comeback for the Sharks.
From a Kings Perspective: The best part of their game tonight is that it's over. Losing by five is bad enough, but to allow seven straight is demoralizing. The Kings could benefit from a spell of amnesia, forgetting this game and looking forward to games three and four being on home ice. Game three will be huge for the Kings, who do not want to fall in to a 3-0 hole. Their trademark defense needs to step up, as does Jonathan Quick.
Third Period 0:00: The game is over. 7-2 for the Sharks in a dominating game two victory. Unofficial shot count for the game: Sharks 40- Kings 26.
Third Period 1:16: The frenzy seems to have been calmed by a sucessfull penalty kill by the Kings.
Third Period 3:23: Tyler Toffoli with a shorthanded opportunity, but Niemi stones him. A solid performance from the San Jose goaltender this evening.
Third Period 5:16: Mike Richards of the Kings is nailed with a four minute double-minor for spearing Coture of the Sharks. Sharks are back on the powerplay.
Third Period 5:35: Both teams engage in some unpleasantries. Desjardins of the Sharks and Dustin Brown of the Kings are asked to hit the showers early, as their kicked out of the game. Chippy hockey seems to be on the menu from here on out.
Third Period 5:52: TV timeout. Sharks have established a strong cycle game down low on the Kings. It appears the Sharks have taken one from the King's playbook, and it's working out well for them.
Third Period 8:00: TV timeout. The Sharks have scored seemingly at will in this period. The NHL's best defensive team in the regular season has just allowed 7 straight goals. Kings fans can only wonder what is going on, and what happened to their all-star goalie.
Third Period 9:54: Sharks goal! Joe Thornton scores on a pretty play to convert on the 5 on 3 advantage. 7-2 Sharks. This one is just ugly now.
Third Period 10:31: Mitchell called for double-minor. 5 on-3 man-advantage for Sharks.
Third Period 11:01: Tempers have boiled over for the Kings, as Greene is sent to the box for roughing. Quick, among others, involved in some chatting in front of his net. This game is out of reach for the Kings, so expect this ending to be interesting.
Third Period 11:52: Sharks goal! San Jose now leads 6-2 off of a Logan Couture goal. This performance by Quick is out of character, to say the least.
Third Period 12:19: Toffoli of the Kings gets his stick on a point shot just before it reaches Niemi, but the Sharks goaltender makes the save look easy.
Third Period 13:39: First TV timeout of the third. Willie Mitchell came down from the point off one of Los Angeles' few successful cycles in San Jose's end, only to be denied by Antii Niemi. Two quick goals to start this period have put the Kings in quite a hole.Do they have enough to pull even? Time is starting to become a factor here.
Third Period 15:53: Sharks Goal! The wheels seems to have fallen off for the Kings, as Joe Pavelski snipes one off of a 3-0 opportunity. Five unanswered goals finds this game at 5-2 in favor of San Jose.
Third Period 18:52:Sharks goal! Patrick Marleau converts on a Sharks' 3 on 2, making this a 4-2 game. Southern California native-and former Kings fan- Matt Nieto with the primary assist on a perfect pass. Logan Couture with the other assist.
Second Intermission: Unofficial shot count for the second- Sharks 12- Kings 7, making a game total of 27 for the Sharks and 17 for the Kings.
Second Intermission: From a Los Angeles Kings Perspective: No team will ever feel good after giving up a 2-0 lead. A few mistakes lead to the Sharks putting the puck in the Kings' net. They need to tighten-up and eliminate any mistakes heading in to the third. They had their chances in the second- including some on their time on the powerplay. They need to kill what's left of Brown's penalty, and make the most of their chances, while doing everything to keep the Sharks at bay. Look for a desperate Kings team in the third, as they have no intentions of going down 0-2 back to Los Angeles.
Second Intermission: From a San Jose Sharks Perspective: San Jose did not exactly dominate the second, but they made the most of their opportunities. The Sharks checking line of Raffi Torres, Mike Brown, and Andrew Desjardins lead the way, combining for the first two goals. If they lock down defensively, and continue to play opportunistic hockey, they could swim south for game three up 2-0.
Second Period 00:00: A tale of two periods in San Jose. The Sharks fourth line comes up big, leading the team to a three goal period. Both teams head to the locker rooms with a 3-2 Sharks lead.
Second Period 1:55: Dustin Brown heads to the box, putting the Sharks on the powerplay. A penalty this late in to the period could prove to be pivotal for either team.
Second Period 2:54: All the momentum belongs to the Sharks at the final TV timeout of the second. The fans are back in it, and the Sharks seems to taste blood in the water. The Kings need to act fast before this one escapes their reach.
Second Period 5:15: San Jose Sharks goal! Justin Braun fires from the point to beat the traffic in front of Jonathan Quick and find the top of the net. 3-2 Sharks. That makes three straight goals for the Sharks to overcome a 2-0 deficit heading in to the second period.
Second Period 9:57: The San Jose Sharks are heading to the box after this second TV timeout. this Kings powerplay could be the key to unlocking this tie.
Second Period 10:56: Sharks goal! The fourth line comes up big again, as Raffi Torres scores to tie the game at 2. The lone assist goes to Andrew Desjardins, his second of the game.
Second Period 11:57: Stoll and Sharks' James Sheppard seem to be making acquaintances after the whistle. The intensity of the series- and the rivalry- seems to on the rise. I'm sure they were just talking about Game of Thrones though.
Second Period 12:14: First TV time out of the second. Big penalty kill by the Kings seems to have slow the momentum the Sharks obtained off the goal. Quick comes up big during the kill.
Second Period 12:53: The Kings kill off the minor penalty; we're back to 5 on 5 hockey.
Second Period 14:53: Jarret Stoll of the Kings is called for holding, bringing out the San Jose Sharks powerplay unit.
Second Period 15:35: Sharks goal! Mike Brown slips on by Quick, his first of the series. Big goal from San Jose's checking line. Look for them to pick up some momentum here.
Second Period 16:00: The pace is up for the start of the second. the fans at the SAP Center seem to be responding to the Sharks and their strong start, as 'Beat LA' is once again flooding the arena.
Second Period 19:10: The San Jose Sharks come out flying, making Quick have to come up with some big saves.
First Intermission: Unofficial hit total for the first period: Kings 18- Sharks 17.
First Intermission: From a San Jose Sharks Perspective: Not the start they hoped for. Going down 2-0 after the first twenty on home ice is never something you draw up in the locker room. Look for the Sharks to come out flying to start the second, storming Los Angeles Kings netminder Jonathan Quick. They had some quality chances in the first, and they have to believe that if they continue, they are bound to get one by Quick.
First Intermission: From a Los Angeles Kings perspective: The physical game has propelled the Kings to a much better start than that of Game One. Maybe a few more chances allowed than what they desired, but Jonathan Quick has bailed them out every time. His highlight of the first may have been his left leg pad save on Joe Pavelski of the San Jose Sharks.
First Period 0:00: The end of the first period finds the Los Angeles Kings ahead 2-0 over the San Jose Sharks. Overall, both teams had quality chances, as the Sharks lead 15-10 in shots. But the goals by Muzzin and Lewis prove to be the difference. The Kings seemed to have gone back to their ways of heavy hitting and relentless pressure on the fore check.
First Period 1:36: The physical play of the Los Angeles Kings seems to be tilting the ice at the SAP Center in their favor.
First Period 3:40: Anze Kopitar with a golden opportunity in 4 on 4 action, but Antii Niemi gets the better of the chance.
First Period 3:59: The final TV timeout of the period leaves us collectively gasping at Quick's remarkable pad save on San Jose's Joe Pavelski. Voynov for the Kings and Burns from the Sharks receive coincidental minors on the ensuing scrum.
First Period 5:00: The two teams have exchanged chances in what has been a fast-paced first period. Both goalies making big saves , with the exception of the two that made their way past Antti Niemi.
First Period 8:00: The Los Angeles Kings are playing their signature physical style. The offense is hard on the fore check, making the San Jose Sharks Defense think for that extra second when going back for the puck. Look for this to ware down the Sharks D-men.
First Period 9:28: At the second TV Timeout, the Kings are ahead 2-0 over the Sharks. 'Beat LA' chants are a mere memory at this point, as it seems the San Jose faithful have been sucked out of this game.
First Period 10:27: Kings goal! Trevor Lewis off a beautiful feed by Jeff Carter. This play all a result of Quick's big stop on Wingels.
First Period 10:53: Quick again coming up big, this time on Tommy Wingels of the Sharks.
First Period 12:16: Big save by Jonathan Quick on Patrick Marleau of the San Jose Sharks. Remember that one, could be a key play.
First Period 13:16 : First TV timeout finds action at both ends of the ice! A little scrum in front of Antti Niemi but nothing much amounts from it. Jake Muzzin of the Los Angeles Kings looks strong in both the offensive and defensive zones.
First Period 15:43: Great chance by San Jose's Tomas Hertl, but Jonathan Quick comes up big.
First Period 17:24: Kings goal goes to Jake Muzzin, no tip in front. Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar credited with assists on the play.
First Period 18:10: Kings goal! After a shift of great offensive pressure, it looks like Jake Muzzin gets one through. It may have been tipped in front though.
First Period 19:00: Kings already facing 'Beat LA' chants.
First Period 20:00: The puck is dropped and we are under way at the SAP Center in San Jose, California!
Pregame: Expect to see Jonathan Quick in net for the Kings opposite Antti Niemi for the Sharks. Two goalies that already have their name on Lord Stanley's cup could result in a low scoring game, but only time will tell!
Pregame: In other NHL Playoff action, the Tampa Bay Lightning just scored to pull within one versus the Montreal Canadiens in game three of their quarterfinal matchup. Montreal is ahead 3-2 with seven minutes left.
Pregame: Just over a half hour before our first puck drop. Settle in folks for what promises to be a great matchup! If both teams play to potential, we should be expecting a tough, physical bout.
Pregame: Look for the Los Angeles Kings to get back on track by implementing their hard, relentless fore check that has proven to be successful for them in the past. As one of the bigger, more physical teams in the NHL's Western Conference, the Los Angeles Kings are at their best when they are taking the body. Expect Kings' Captain Dustin Brown to lead from the start with the physical play.
Pregame: The San Jose Sharks really seemed to be ignited in game one by two rookies: Tomas Hertl and Matt Nieto- a Southern California native. The two were flying all night and combined for three points on one goal and two assists.
Pregame: Tonight's affair should be a spirited one, as game one saw San Jose convincingly beat Los Angeles by a score of 6-3. Look for this matchup to be much closer between these two in-state rivals.
Pregame: Good evening everyone, and welcome to the live event for game two of the NHL Western Conference Quarterfinals between the Los Angeles Kings and the San Jose Sharks.