Sharks at Kings
The Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks were expected to be the class of the Pacific Division this season, but both teams fell well short. The in-state rivals battle for nothing but pride when they conclude their campaigns at Staples Center on Saturday.
Los Angeles squandered the chance to defend its Stanley Cup title, going 0-2-1 on its three-game road trip to become the first reigning champion to miss the postseason since the 2006-07 Carolina Hurricanes. The Kings' downfall was their disappointing 15-18-8 road record, as the club's 24-9-7 mark at home was among the best in the league. San Jose had its streak of 10 consecutive playoff appearances come to an end as it struggled to a 19-17-5 record on home ice. The Sharks, whose current 5-2-1 surge was not enough to overcome a horrid February and mediocre March, split their first four meetings with the Kings this season.
TV: 3 p.m. ET, NBC
ABOUT THE SHARKS (40-32-9): It took quite a long time for Bryan Lerg to make his NHL debut, but it proved to be worth the wait. The undrafted 29-year-old snapped a tie with 2:52 remaining in the third period, netting the winning goal on one of his eight shots - the most by a player appearing in his first career game in franchise history. "I have no words, honestly," said Lerg, who also won all four of his faceoffs. "It was an unbelievable game to play in."
ABOUT THE KINGS (39-27-15): Los Angeles is looking to reach the 40-win plateau for the fifth consecutive non-shortened season. Barring a six-point performance, Anze Kopitar will finish with fewer than 70 for the first time since recording 66 in 2008-09 - the 48-game 2012-13 campaign notwithstanding. The 27-year-old Slovenian enters Saturday's contest three points ahead of Jeff Carter (61) for the team lead.
OVERTIME
1. Carter, who leads the Kings in goals, is two away from reaching 30 for the first time since 2010-11 while with Philadelphia.
2. San Jose's Joe Pavelski leads the team with 69 points, two more than fellow C Logan Couture. Pavelski's 19 power-play goals put his second in the league to Washington's Alex Ovechkin (24).
3. Sharks LW Patrick Marleau needs one goal to reach 20 for the sixth consecutive full season.