Kings at Sharks
The Los Angeles Kings attempt to make it three wins in a row when they take to the road for the first time this season to face the Pacific Division-rival San Jose Sharks on Thursday. Los Angeles kicked off its season-opening five-game homestand with three straight losses, a skid during which it scored a total of two goals.
The Kings got into the win column by topping Minnesota in overtime Friday and edged Colorado two days later, taking both contests by a 2-1 score. While Los Angeles continues to search for offense, San Jose returns home after splitting a four-game East Coast road trip. The Sharks were in position to make it a truly successful trek, opening with victories at Washington and New Jersey, but settled for a mediocre one by being outscored 10-3 in losses to the New York Islanders and Rangers. San Jose trounced the Kings 5-1 at Staples Center in the season opener after losing three of the five meetings between the clubs in 2014-15.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, FSN West (Los Angeles), CSN California (San Jose)
ABOUT THE KINGS (2-3-0): Tyler Toffoli has been the main source of offense for Los Angeles, scoring three of the team's six goals this season. The 23-year-old, who netted a career-high 23 tallies in 2014-15, already has a power-play goal, a short-hander and a game-winner. Other than Toffoli, captain Dustin Brown and Jeff Carter (two assists apiece) are the only Kings with more than one point.
ABOUT THE SHARKS (4-2-0): Bryan Lerg made his season debut Monday after being recalled from the American Hockey League earlier in the day and saw 10 minutes, 51 seconds of ice time on 15 shifts without notching a point. The 29-year-old center got his first taste of the NHL last campaign, recording a goal in two contests after toiling in the minors since 2007-08. Captain Joe Pavelski registered a goal and two assists in the win over Los Angeles on Oct. 7 while Joe Thornton and defenseman Brent Burns each netted a tally and set up another.
OVERTIME
1. Sharks LW Patrick Marleau is a minus-6 over his last two contests.
2. After scoring five goals in two of its first three games, San Jose has totaled five over its last three contests.
3. Los Angeles hosts Carolina on Friday before leaving California for the first time two days later, when it visits Edmonton.