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Kings left wing Andreas Athanasiou, left, reaches for the puck next to Sharks defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov during the first period of Monday’s game in San Jose. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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Kurtis Gabriel #29 of the San Jose Sharks fights with Kurtis MacDermid #56 of the Los Angeles Kings in the first period at SAP Center on March 22, 2021 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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Kurtis Gabriel #29 of the San Jose Sharks fights with Kurtis MacDermid #56 of the Los Angeles Kings in the first period at SAP Center on March 22, 2021 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick (32) watches puck enter the net on a goal by San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture, not seen, during the first period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Monday, March 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick (32) reacts after a goal by San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture during the first period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Monday, March 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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Logan Couture #39 of the San Jose Sharks is congratulated by Evander Kane #9 and Kevin Labanc #62 after he scored a goal in the first period against the Los Angeles Kings at SAP Center on March 22, 2021 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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Los Angeles Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson skates against the San Jose Sharks during the first period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Monday, March 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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Matt Roy #3 of the Los Angeles Kings is congratulated by Austin Wagner #27 after he scored a goal against the San Jose Sharks in the second period at SAP Center on March 22, 2021 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 22: Matt Roy #3 of the Los Angeles Kings is congratulated by Austin Wagner #27 after he scored a goal against the San Jose Sharks in the second period at SAP Center on March 22, 2021 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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Los Angeles Kings defenseman Matt Roy, left, celebrates with left wing Austin Wagner (27) after scoring against the San Jose Sharks during the second period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Monday, March 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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Matt Roy #3 of the Los Angeles Kings is congratulated by teammates after he scored a goal against the San Jose Sharks in the second period at SAP Center on March 22, 2021 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar, right, skates for the puck against San Jose Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro (38) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Monday, March 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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San Jose Sharks goaltender Martin Jones (31) defends a shot by Los Angeles Kings right wing Alex Iafallo (19) during the third period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Monday, March 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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Los Angeles Kings left wing Carl Grundstrom skates against the San Jose Sharks during the second period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Monday, March 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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San Jose Sharks center Tomas Hertl, left, looks toward the puck next to Los Angeles Kings defenseman Sean Walker (26) and goaltender Jonathan Quick, rear, during the third period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Monday, March 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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Los Angeles Kings center Jeff Carter (77) skates against San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns (88) and center Logan Couture (39) during the third period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Monday, March 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 22: Jonathan Quick #32 of the Los Angeles Kings makes a save against the San Jose Sharks in the first period at SAP Center on March 22, 2021 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 22: Timo Meier #28 of the San Jose Sharks tries to control the puck while defended by Alex Iafallo #19 and Anze Kopitar #11 of the Los Angeles Kings at SAP Center on March 22, 2021 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 22: Brent Burns #88 of the San Jose Sharks is tripped by Jeff Carter #77 of the Los Angeles Kings in the first period at SAP Center on March 22, 2021 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 22: Drew Doughty #8 of the Los Angeles Kings goes for the puck against Ryan Donato #16 and Kevin Labanc #62 of the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on March 22, 2021 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 22: Marcus Sorensen #20 of the San Jose Sharks skates past Alex Iafallo #19 of the Los Angeles Kings in the first period at SAP Center on March 22, 2021 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 22: Jaret Anderson-Dolan #28 of the Los Angeles Kings and Nikolai Knyzhov #71 of the San Jose Sharks go for the puck at SAP Center on March 22, 2021 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 22: Drew Doughty #8 of the Los Angeles Kings and Nikolai Knyzhov #71 of the San Jose Sharks go for the puck at SAP Center on March 22, 2021 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 22: Drew Doughty #8 of the Los Angeles Kings controls the puck while covered by Erik Karlsson #65 and Dylan Gambrell #7 of the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on March 22, 2021 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 22: Austin Wagner #27 of the Los Angeles Kings is checked by Nikolai Knyzhov #71 of the San Jose Sharks in the second period at SAP Center on March 22, 2021 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 22: Blake Lizotte #46 of the Los Angeles Kings controls the puck in front of Marc-Edouard Vlasic #44 and Rudolfs Balcers #92 of the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on March 22, 2021 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 22: Blake Lizotte #46 of the Los Angeles Kings controls the puck in front of Marc-Edouard Vlasic #44 and Rudolfs Balcers #92 of the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on March 22, 2021 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 22: Austin Wagner #27 of the Los Angeles Kings and Marc-Edouard Vlasic #44 of the San Jose Sharks go for the puck in the second period at SAP Center on March 22, 2021 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 22: Jeff Carter #77 of the Los Angeles Kings puts a shot on goal while covered by Timo Meier #28 and Nikolai Knyzhov #71 of the San Jose Sharks in the second period at SAP Center on March 22, 2021 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 22: Austin Wagner #27 of the Los Angeles Kings is tripped by Marc-Edouard Vlasic #44 of the San Jose Sharks in the second period at SAP Center on March 22, 2021 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 22: Austin Wagner #27 of the Los Angeles Kings is tripped by Marc-Edouard Vlasic #44 of the San Jose Sharks in the second period at SAP Center on March 22, 2021 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 22: Austin Wagner #27 of the Los Angeles Kings and Marc-Edouard Vlasic #44 of the San Jose Sharks go for the puck in the second period at SAP Center on March 22, 2021 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 22: Ryan Donato #16 of the San Jose Sharks celebrates after he scored the winning goal in the thrid period of their game against the Los Angeles Kings at SAP Center on March 22, 2021 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 22: Ryan Donato #16 of the San Jose Sharks scores the winning goal in the third period on goalie Jonathan Quick #32 and defenders Sean Walker #26 and Kurtis MacDermid #56 the Los Angeles Kings at SAP Center on March 22, 2021 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 22: Ryan Donato #16 of the San Jose Sharks is congratulated by Kurtis Gabriel #29 and John Leonard #43 after he scored the winning goal in the third period of their game against the Los Angeles Kings at SAP Center on March 22, 2021 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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San Jose Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro, from left, celebrates with goaltender Martin Jones and left wing Evander Kane after the Sharks defeated the Los Angeles Kings in an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Monday, March 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Teams make plans and the hockey gods laugh.
A night after they beat the West division’s best team, the Kings stumbled against one of its worst, falling 2-1 to the San Jose Sharks on Monday at SAP Center.
The game saw them earn noticeably more shots on goal, scoring chances and power-play opportunities but still lose, due in large part to two fluky San Jose goals that banked in off Kings players.
“Sometimes it’s not your night yet you put in a pretty good effort,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said.
Reminiscent of a Feb. 27 game against the Minnesota Wild, the Kings saw a number of unusual bounces. Monday, those tough breaks ended up defying the typical barometers of a team’s level of success.
“We’re beyond this game already. We’ll prepare for the next night,” McLellan said.
The Kings had an opportunity to gain ground on fourth-place St. Louis, which lost to the division-leading Vegas Golden Knights on Monday. Instead, they remained five points behind the Blues.
One day after signing a three-year contract extension, defenseman Matt Roy scored his first goal of the season for the Kings, who haven’t won consecutive games since their six-game winning streak ended on Feb. 26. Goalie Jonathan Quick made 21 saves.
Centers Logan Couture and Ryan Donato scored for San Jose. Former Kings goalie Martin Jones was heavily occupied, making 41 saves.
San Jose defenseman Mario Ferraro saved a tying goal as the buzzer loomed when he tied up center Anze Kopitar’s stick at the right post. The Kings struggled with the extra man: they failed to cash in six-on-five and went 0 for 5 on the power play.
With just more than three minutes left in the game, the Kings buzzed around the San Jose net but a Kopitar shot hit the post and a strong save by Jones on a one-timer preserved San Jose’s edge.
Less than four minutes into the third period, Donato reclaimed the lead for San Jose. He drove wide on the right wing, beating two Kings to the back of the net. He circled looking for a wraparound or a centering pass. He chose the latter option, but his centering attempt caromed in off Quick’s skate anyway.
Donato is the son of former Kings and Ducks forward Ted Donato, who currently coaches Harvard University.
“Positionally we were in the right spots on both of those (San Jose goals),” McLellan said. “It goes off somebody’s skate or leg or chin pad. There’s really nothing we can do about it.”
To start the final frame, the Kings found winger Alex Iafallo alone between the hash marks, only to see him shoot a rolling puck into Jones’ blocker. Winger Andreas Athanasiou then drew a penalty, but their fifth opportunity produced the same result as the previous four.
Apart from a couple of brief stretches, the Kings carried much of the play in the second period.
The Kings found the equalizer with 2:29 left in the second stanza. Center Gabe Vilardi won an offensive zone faceoff cleanly over to right winger Austin Wagner, who moved the puck to Roy for a one-time slap shot that he powered past Jones’ glove for his first goal since Dec. 17, 2019, at Boston.
“There were two areas where we fell short … the power play and faceoffs,” McLellan said. “We could whine about that but yet a faceoff got us our lone goal.”
The Kings had out-shot the Sharks handily and generated numerous rebounds, but mostly fired pucks at the pads of Jones, who has historically been vulnerable high to his glove side. Roy said he lifted the puck in an effort to avoid the San Jose defender attempting to block his shot.
“I was just trying to get it past the guy coming out to block it,” Roy said. “Lucky for us, it went in.”
In the first period, Couture got the Sharks on the board by flashing some pinball skills on the ice 8:22 into the contest. His shot from the left side ricocheted off three Kings – forward Adrian Kempe, Quick and defenseman Kurtis MacDermid – before entering the net.
With approximately 7:30 left in the first period, defenseman Drew Doughty leaned into a one-timer that Jones saved, only to see Doughty draw a high-sticking penalty against winger Timo Meier seconds later.
The Kings did not convert on the power play or the nifty counter-attack that their third line pieced together at even strength.
That was the second of three man-advantage opportunities, none of which the Kings were able to turn into a tally. Feeding that futility were three faceoff losses in the offensive zone to start each power play, part of a broader trend of struggling in the circle for the Kings.
The Kings ended the first period down 1-0, but they did manage a victory in a battle of Kurtises between MacDermid and Sharks winger Kuris Gabriel. It was MacDermid’s third fighting major this season, and the fourth for Gabriel. The Kings have had a fight in four consecutive games.
MacDermid’s spot in the lineup seems firm for now as Olli Maatta (upper-body injury) did not travel to San Jose. The Kings recalled defenseman Austin Strand from the Ontario Reign.
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