Sharks 4, Kings 3
LOS ANGELES -- Joe Pavelski scored twice, including the go-ahead goal early in the third period, and the San Jose Sharks earned a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Kings in Game 1 of a Western Conference quarterfinal series Thursday night at Staples Center.
Pavelski delivered his second goal of the game and boosted the Sharks to a 4-3 advantage 17 seconds into the third period. Brent Burns had a goal and assist for San Jose, while Joel Ward finished with two assists.
Martin Jones, a former King, recorded 21 saves on 24 shots for San Jose. Jones faced several shots in the final minute as the Kings desperately tried to tie the score and force overtime, but he and the Sharks escaped any damage.
Jonathan Quick stopped 19 of 23 shots for the Kings.
Jake Muzzin put the Kings up 1-0, slapping a shot off the skate of Tomas Hertl and into the net at 2:53 of the first period.
However, after Anze Kopitar was sent to the box for interference, Pavelski tied the score with a power-play goal by ripping a shot from the left circle on a pass from Burns at 6:25 of the first.
In the second period, San Jose grabbed a 2-1 lead on Burns' goal at 6:50 on an assist from Ward.
The Kings quickly knotted the score when they got another fortuitous bounce. Jeff Carter fired a shot off the stick of Hertl, which ricocheted off the leg of Paul Martin and off the shoulder of Jones for a power-play goal at 7:30 of the second.
Trevor Lewis gave the Kings the lead again with an unassisted short-hander for a 3-2 edge with 2:42 remaining in the second. Lewis' 10th career playoff goal marks the first short-handed goal scored by the Kings since Kopitar scored one May 22, 2012, vs. the Phoenix Coyotes.
However, the lead lasted just 30 seconds as Hertl corralled a loose puck and slipped it past Quick for a 3-3 tie with 2:12 left in the period.
NOTES: The Sharks scratched C Dainius Zubrus, C Micheal Haley, D Dylan DeMelo and D Matt Tennyson. D Jamie McBain and C Nick Shore were unavailable for the Kings. ... This is the fourth postseason clash between the two clubs in the past six years. The Kings have won two of three, with both wins coming in seven games in the previous two series. They prevailed in the 2013 Western Conference semifinals and the opening round in 2014, when they erased a 3-0 deficit. The Sharks beat the Kings in six games in the 2011 first round. ... The Sharks captured three of the five regular-season meetings with both teams winning twice on visiting ice. ... After Saturday' s Game 2, the series shifts to San Jose for Games 3 and 4 on Monday and Wednesday. If there is a Game 5, it would be played April 22 at Staples Center.