by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: San Jose Sharks Joonas Donskoi attempt to score was blocked by the LA Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick on Monday night

SAN JOSE–The San Jose Sharks faced off Monday night against their arch-rival Los Angeles Kings. The Sharks, coming into the game, had lost hree straight. They needed just one win or an Arizona Coyote loss to give them a spot in the playoff. Both happened. The Sharks won 5-2 to earn their way into the race for the Stanley Cup. The Kings also wanted to win. They came into the game in first place three points ahead of the Anaheim Ducks. The Duck won and are now just one point behind the Kings. The Sharks trail the Kings by five points.

There were 17,066 screaming and very loud Shark fans in attendance. The fans gave support to the Sharks all night long. Beat LA was chanted over and over again as their heroes did not let them down. Both teams played excellent hockey and should they meet in the playoffs, it will be a terrific series. The Kings are loaded with Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, Milan Lucic, Tyler Terfoli and Jonathan Quick. The Sharks counter with Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, Brett Burns, Tomas Hertl, Joel Ward and Logan Couture.The Sharks and the Kings played a fast and furious first period. With the crowd chanting “beat LA. beat LA”, the Sharks gave it their best. They had a chance to take an early lead when Joe Pavelski was able to skate in on a breakaway. Kings’ goalie, Jonathan Quick made the stop but the rebound bounced out to Joe Thornton. The puck jumped over Thornton’s stick to disappoint the sold out stadium. The Kings drew first blood with 9:12 of the period. Justin Braun was penalized two minutes for delay of game. The Kings scored on the power play as Vincent Lecavalier beat Martin Jones on the short side for his ninth goal of the year. Alec Martinez and Brayden McNabb assisted on the play. The Sharks tied the game  at the 12:57 mark when Braun put the puck past Quick for the score. Tommy Wingels fought for control of the puck . He managed to get a pass to Karlsson who flipped it back to Braun who let it fly with a one-timer that beat Quick for the tally. The Sharks led the Kings 11-9 in the shots on goal category. Score tied at one apiece after the first twenty minutes of play.

The Sharks and the Kings played a fast and furious first period. With the crowd chanting “beat LA. beat LA”, the Sharks gave it their best. They had a chance to take an early lead when Joe Pavelski was able to skate in on a breakaway. Kings’ goalie, Jonathan Quick made the stop but the rebound bounced out to Joe Thornton. The puck jumped over Thornton’s stick to disappoint the sold out stadium. The Kings drew first blood with 9:12 of the period. Justin Braun was penalized two minutes for delay of game. The Kings scored on the power play as Vincent Lecavalier beat Martin Jones on the short side for his ninth goal of the year. Alec Martinez and Brayden McNabb assisted on the play. The Sharks tied the game  at the 12:57 mark when Braun put the puck past Quick for the score. Tommy Wingels fought for control of the puck . He managed to get a pass to Karlsson who flipped it back to Braun who let it fly with a one-timer that beat Quick for the tally. The Sharks led the Kings 11-9 in the shots on goal category. Score tied at one apiece after the first twenty minutes of play.

It was more of the same in the second period. The Sharks continued to skate well. The Sharks top line set up the go-ahead goal with 7:55 played. The Sharks were applying pressure in the Kings’ end of the ice. Joe Pavelski notched his thirty-sixth goal of the season on a tip-in. Brent Burns let go with a blast from the right point that Pavelski was able to deflect past Quick. Thomas Hertl also assisted on the play. The Sharks missed a golden opportunity later in the period when Logan Couture stole the puck and had a breakaway. Unfortunately, Quick blocked the shot. Vincent Lecavalier was in the slot when he received a pass from Milan Lucic. Lecavalier took a step back and the put the puck past Jones with just 4:17 left in the period. Lucic and Tyler Terfoli were credited with assists. The Sharks’ Michael Haley and the Kings’ Kyle Clifford were sent to the penalty box for five minutes for fighting. The score is 2-2 after two periods of play.

It was all Sharks in the third period. Joe Thornton scored his eighteenth goal of the year on a power play with 4:28 played. Joe Pavelski and Bren Burns assisted. The Sharks’ goalie, Martin Jones, made thirty saves. Jones was a backup with the Kings last year and is, no doubt, savoring the win over his former mates. Melker Karlsson made it a 4-2 game with just 3:19 left to play. Tommy Wingels got control of the puck in back of the Kings’ net. From there he found, Karlsson on the left side of Quick. Melker pushed it in for the score. The play was placed under review but the goal was ruled good. Roman Polak also assisted. The final goal of the night came with 18 seconds left to play. Justin Braun scored his second goal of the game into an empty net. Sharks win 5-2.