Sharks 7, Kings 2
Joe Pavelski recorded a goal and two assists while Patrick Marleau and Logan Couture notched one of each as host San Jose rallied from a two-goal deficit to take a 2-0 lead in its Western Conference first-round series.
Agitators Mike Brown and Raffi Torres scored while fellow fourth-liner Andrew Desjardins notched two assists for the Sharks, who have registered 13 goals over the first two games after totaling 10 in last postseason's seven-game series against the Kings. Defenseman Justin Braun and captain Joe Thornton also tallied while Antti Niemi made 24 saves.
Blue-liner Jake Muzzin and Trevor Lewis scored for Los Angeles, which hosts Game 3 on Tuesday. Jonathan Quick was lit up for seven goals on 40 shots after yielding five tallies over two periods in the series opener.
The Kings, who came alive with three tallies in the third period of Game 1 after surrendering the first five goals, picked up where they left off as Muzzin netted his second of the series 1:51 into the contest and Lewis tipped Jeff Carter's pass past Niemi at 9:33 for a 2-0 lead after one session. San Jose dominated the final 40 minutes, however, as Brown began the onslaught of seven straight goals with the first of his postseason career at 4:25 of the second period before Torres beat Quick from the top of the right faceoff circle less than five minutes later.
Braun put the Sharks ahead with a shot from high along the right-wing boards at 14:45 and Marleau ignited an outburst of four goals in the first half of the third session by converting a cross-ice pass from Matt Nieto at 1:08. Pavelski beat Quick on the short side at 4:07 after a bad line change by Los Angeles and Couture tallied four minutes later before Thornton cashed in during a 5-on-3 power play two minutes afterward.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Nieto and D Dan Boyle joined Desjardins with two assists apiece for the Sharks. ... Including this series, Torres has appeared in only seven games this season due to knee problems but has collected five goals and two assists. The veteran has tallied in each contest against the Kings thus far. ... Things got extremely chippy once San Jose pulled away, as the teams combined for 56 penalty minutes in the third period - including 10-minute misconducts for Kings LWs Kyle Clifford and captain Dustin Brown as well as Sharks C Desjardins and RW Mike Brown.