Kings start and finish strong to rout Sharks, end losing streak

The Kings slammed the brakes on their five-game losing streak and in domineering fashion, beating the San Jose Sharks, 6-2, on Thursday night at Staples Center.

Though second periods have been their forte, the Kings bookended their effort Thursday with a pair of three-goal periods. Twelve Kings registered points and four of them had multi-point outings. The Kings lathered on three power-play goals.

Forwards Anze Kopitar, Carl Grundstrom and Jaret Anderson-Dolan each had a goal and an assist, while Austin Wagner, Alex Iafallo and Jeff Carter also scored. Defensemen Tobias Bjornfot and Austin Strand recorded their first NHL points, both via assists, and goaltender Cal Petersen had 28 saves in his third straight start.

Defenseman Drew Doughty, none the worse for wear, not only played but racked up three assists after a painful stinger knocked him out of Tuesday’s game. He was part of a fast start Thursday.

“After we did have that first good shift, the lines just kept rolling and rolling over. We kept them hemmed in their zone a few times and got a three-goal lead,” Doughty said.

Forward Tomas Hertl scored both of San Jose’s goals. Former Kings goalie Martin Jones made just 25 of 31 saves.

The Kings came out with jump and a direct style of play.

They drew an early penalty on defenseman Brent Burns, and then converted on the power play.

Kopitar received the puck on the left-wing wall and glided toward the goal. His lively wrist shot from the left face-off dot beat Jones on the far side 2:47 into the game.

They struck again 35 seconds before the midpoint of the first period.

Strand moved the puck with authority to Anderson-Dolan. His shot deflected in off Grundstrom to give the Kings their first 2-0 lead of the season.

Sharks forward Evander Kane, who scored the tying goal in the final minute of regulation on Tuesday, had two point-blank chances off a turnover in the Kings’ zone. Petersen denied both in quick succession to protect the two-goal lead.

The Kings extended their lead to 3-0 as they fended off tremendous pressure from San Jose during a Sharks power play. Wagner’s penalty ended and he received the puck after exiting the penalty box. The speedy Wagner dashed up ice and then pulled back to finish his breakaway with a backhand goal.

“I had a long penalty kill shift, laying all over the ice. I was so gassed but then I saw Wags come out of the box so I just tried to pass as quickly as I could,” Bjornfot said.

San Jose got one back with 3:35 left in the opening period. Hertl’s initial shot from the left circle was blocked back toward him. He took advantage of the broken play, zipping his second shot attempt past Petersen.

With just over two minutes left in the second period, which the Kings had mostly carried, there were unwelcome moments of deja vu.

Kane was once more the beneficiary of a defensive-zone turnover. He dished the puck to Logan Couture, who drew a penalty on Adrian Kempe. Then Hertl scored again, tidying up a loose puck after a two-on-one rush that started in a four-on-four situation but was technically a power-play goal as a San Jose penalty expired an instant before the tally.

Yet the Kings shoved back in the third with two more power-play goals and three overall to secure the victory.

“We’ve blown a lot of third-period leads this year. If you want to be a good team in the NHL, you have to learn how to seal the deal when you have the lead,” Doughty said, adding that he and other veterans were vocal before the third period.

The three-goal outburst was sparked by a group of young Kings who have helped set the tone for the entire roster.

First, it was the line of Anderson-Dolan, Grundstrom and Trevor Moore creating chaos on the forecheck once more. An Erik Karlsson turnover behind the net led to a quick passing sequence between all three forwards that Anderson-Dolan finished with aplomb.

Then it was the power play making an impact. A point shot created a rebound that Dustin Brown pursued before being taken down at the net. Iafallo reached it unmolested and his backhand shot gave the Kings another three-goal lead.

After Brown drew a penalty as Iafallo scored, the Sharks challenged the goal for goaltender interference. They were unsuccessful and faced a full two minutes of a two-man advantage for the Kings.

The hosts cashed in once, as Carter ripped a one-timer from the left circle off a seam pass. The puck banked off Jones’ underarm and made the score 6-2, affording the Kings a rare chance to coast a bit.

“We’re so accustomed to playing one-goal games that you don’t get the freedom to play out a lot of nights,” Kings Coach Todd McLellan said. “We earned the opportunity to do it tonight … we didn’t get cute, we didn’t get lazy, we didn’t get sloppy. We played the right way.”

UP NEXT

The Kings are scheduled to host the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, but that game is unlikely to be played as scheduled. The first game of the two-game set on Saturday has already been postponed, with 11 Minnesota players in COVID-19 protocol as of Thursday.

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